Henk Gorter (1908-1974) - Surrealistic landscape

Automatically translated from Dutch into English

Henk Gorter was already in his forties when he decided to attend art academy. Born in Sneek, Friesland, in 1908, he moved to Amsterdam in 1951 to enrol at both the Rijksinstituut tot Opleiding van Tekenleraren and the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten.

This late start resulted in a surprisingly diverse body of work, including landscapes, portraits, still lifes and figures, in styles ranging from Impressionism to Surrealism and abstraction. The variety was such that gallery visitors sometimes believed that the works on display were by several different artists. Gorter was a member of the Vereeniging Sint Lucas and the Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars (BBK), and himself taught the artist Wim Steijn (1914–1980).

This surrealist landscape depicts a figure wearing a blue helmet, standing with outstretched arms beside a grave cross, while in the background a rider in a red cloak gallops through a glowing landscape on a white horse.

Henk Gorter (Sneek 1908 – Renkum 1974) is listed in Scheen, Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750–1950.

Technique: Oil on canvas
Dimensions including frame: 60 × 50 cm
Condition: Good