Albert Wessels(1938-2010) - Rogge maaien op Arend Baanstraat in Rijssen.

ALBERT WESSELS (Rijssen 1938 - 2010) painter, illustrator

Wessels was an artist who specialized in nature scenes. Among other things, through his work for the John Bunyan Stichting he gained nationwide fame. But he was also a welcome guest in Israel.

Albert Wessels was a self-taught artist who later studied with the Almelo-based artist Janny Brugman-de Vries. After his schooling, he did not enter the art world directly; to put bread on the table he began working as a warehouse salesperson for the Rijssen-based textile company Heka.

In the 1960s he was able to turn his hobby into a profession because his employer allowed him to work part-time.

Wessels initially did a lot of commissioned work. For example, he painted large harbor scenes for a buyer from Rotterdam. This brought him into contact with a German art dealer who took a great interest in his nature scenes. From then on, the rise of his painting career began.

Wessels created recognizable art. He admired the painters of the Hague School. Impressionists such as Mauve, Mesdag and the Maris brothers spoke to him in a special way, although he did not always fully subscribe to their line. “Someone advised me to simply call my style the Rijssen School,” he would say, downplaying it.

Wessels’ paintings with Old Testament scenes for the John Bunyan Stichting earned him an exhibition in Jerusalem. The then-mayor and later Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert counted him among his personal circle of friends.

Creating nature paintings was to him the love of his heart, because in them he could depict God’s creation. If non-religious people told him that his canvases struck a sensitive chord with them, it pleased him. “Isn’t that beautiful and special, that you can show people that there is a dimension more than just the horizon.”

This painting is a historical scene from his hometown Rijssen.