Abstract art

Jan Dijker, Bouke IJlstra, Lex Horn, Harry on the Laak… Who knows who they were? In the reconstruction period, they were leading artists. They were radical in their time, innovative and made abstract art. Often art of monumental proportions. Unfortunately, they have fallen into oblivion – unjustly – and that is a shame because once you open your eyes to their works of art, you see the expressive quality and craftsmanship they demonstrated.

Zeitgeist

As in fashion and the design world, developments and currents in art follow each other at lightning speed. Whereas in the past you could speak of currents alternating, today they are more like trends. Trends are shorter in duration than movements and reflect the spirit of the times in a more superficial way. Sure, we do know other artists from that era: Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Karel Appel. Celebrities, for their brilliant and innovative art and probably for their larger than life personas.

Architecture

Monumental reconstruction art was often part of buildings. True to the spirit of the times, they were visible to all in the facades of modernist and brutalist buildings by Hugh Maaskant, for example. They formed a Gesamktkunstwerk, so to speak, and came about in collaboration with the architect. The artworks are characterized by their expressive energy and optimism. In a few cases, you also come across more subdued, minimalist artworks.

Techniques and materials

Interestingly, the techniques and materials used varied widely: glass and tile mosaic, sgrafitto, intarsia, masonry, stained glass, glass-in-concrete, concrete relief, glass appliqué, bronze, natural stone and many others. Most of the artworks were expressive and playful like the examples above. On the left, an unnamed artwork by Bouke IJlstra in the Stadhuis metro station in Rotterdam, and on the right, a fragment of an artwork in the Academy of Fine Arts building in Tilburg by Jan Dijker.

Revaluation

Over 15 years ago, I started a blog in part to capture and share this underappreciated abstract art. Fuelled by the feeling of having found something special that was overlooked by many people, I came across many works of art over the years. Fortunately, appreciation has increased since that time and an inventory of relevant works of art has taken place from the National Cultural Heritage Agency. Its purpose is to save as many valuable works for demolition as possible.