Description

What I like

In this painting, I first like the subject: boats in a harbor; even more so, the way in which this subject, which has been depicted many times, is treated is magnificent: Terlouw draws us into this harbor thanks to a very strong oblique perspective, which links the quays, two boats, and several sailboats in the same breath: the controlled palette is illuminated by the reddish-brown of the main boat; two sailors, in blue jackets, animate the boats and echo the blue of the sea and the sky. Finally, in an old Dutch tradition, the city rises in the background, in muted blues and beiges: the important church steeple connects this city to the masts of the boats. The brushstrokes are broad, the light is beautiful, and the clouds are treated with a strong paste.

In short, we are faced with a powerful, attractive painting, very typical of a way of painting from the second quarter of the 20th century: we find in this work a lineage that goes from the Dutch painters of the Golden Age to Jongkind, without forgetting a great modernity of touch.

Technical description

Kees TERLOUW (1890-1948)

Boats docked in a port city, a church in the background

Oil on canvas, signed lower right.

On the back of the canvas, an ink stamp from the paint dealer Championnet in Paris, which tends to date this painting between 1926 and 1948.

An inscription on the stretcher in pencil specifies the city, but it is difficult to read.

Dimensions and weight

Height: 45.5 cm – Width: 37.5 cm – Depth: 1.8 cm

Weight: 5 kg

In a giltwood frame with molded corners, bearing a Kess (sic) Terlouw label (54.5 x 46 cm)

Mix & Match

This work is certainly classical, but its composition makes it a true work of art: the beauty of the palette, quite sober but illuminated by blues and the cloudy sky, is very striking. Perhaps the period gilt frame could be changed if we wanted to give it a less dated look, which would fit better in several types of interiors. As it stands, I would favor hanging it on a dedicated wall, not too large: you need to be able to get close to admire the details and the shimmering water.

In fact, I think this work is good enough to complement any type of furniture: I would happily light the room with Daum crystal lamps from the 1950s: here too, classicism is revisited and magnified by the lines and the way the material is worked. Alexandre Marie Colin’s painting “Young Breton Looking at the Sea,” although older, would be a very good match; but a very different work like Naum Knop’s sculpture “Adam and Eve,” with its carefully studied volumes combined with the warmth of wood, could interact with Terlouw!

Of course, works with a sober palette, like our tapestry “Composicion metallica” by Enrique Broglia, or “Papillon de nuit” by Pierre Szekely, would be interesting as interlocutors for our painting. For furniture, sculptural armchairs like those by Sonja Wasseur or Domustil’s bar table, so voluminous and modest, would be suitable for our painting.