Maarten Van Zijl (1889-1968) - Stilleven

Maarten van Zijl (1889–1969) was a Dutch painter specializing in still lifes, landscapes, watercolors, engravings, lithographs and sculpture. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam and taught from 1960.

The work presents itself as an intimate and silent still life, deeply rooted in the Dutch painting tradition of the twentieth century. The composition is balanced, designed to let simple geometric forms and everyday volumes dialogue. On the supporting table lies a golden bowl, flanked by a plate that hosts, in a decentered position, a single egg. The oval shape and the white surface of the egg create a point of pure light, immediately drawing the observer’s eye, like a symbol of fragility and geometric perfection. Behind the plate is a jug, flanked by a group of vases of different heights, which create a play of planes that confers depth and rhythm to the background. A directional light source caresses the objects. The light glides along the curves of the jug and vases, carves the hollow of the bowl, and makes the eggshell gleam. The overall atmosphere evokes a sense of domestic calm and temporal suspension. There is no splendor but a celebration of sober, geometric beauty of ordinary objects, in the full style of Nieuwe Zakelijkheid (New Objectivity) or lyrical realism typical of Dutch painting in the first half of the century.