Hannes Postma (1933-2020) - statische gestalten

Medium: hand-colored woodcut on sturdy paper.
Date: 1959
Numbered: unique copy - never produced in a print run!
Signed: with a pencil
In very good condition
Titled: "static designs"
loose-leaf - sheet size 50 x 75 cm; image size: 36 x 66 cm



Hannes Postma, born in 1933 in Haarlem, studied at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. His oeuvre consists of oil paintings on canvas, sculptures in iron and plaster, silkscreens and etchings. In the 1960s the artist gained significant recognition with his series color etchings.

From 1973 to 1978, Postma created the series 'Seascapes'. During this period he belonged to the 'Hoek van Hollandse School', an anarchist art collective consisting of artists who did not want to be influenced by outside influences, including traditions and teachers.

A few years later, Postma sought to align with the Nieuwe Figuratie. As is characteristic of the art of the painters belonging to this group, Postma combined figurative and abstract elements in his works. In his abstract creations the viewer can occasionally find recognizable, figurative motifs, such as human figures, torsos or limbs. The disproportionate human figures, which are stretched or compressed, seem to float through space. Characteristic of Postma's style is the use of imaginative shapes. The artworks are largely layered, and streaks of dripping paint are clearly visible. Other characteristics of Postma's art, and of the Nieuwe Figuratie, are the tension between the flat plane and the illusion of space, and the sparkling use of color.

In addition to being a visual artist, Postma was a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam from 1971 to 1988. His work is represented in the collections of corporations, private individuals, institutions, and museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, and the Museum of Modern Art, Arnhem. In 1967, the book 'Hocus Focus' was published, a book about Postma's art.