Jos Frissen (1892-1982) - Landschap

This landscape by Jos Frissen (1892–1982) is dominated by a monumental, strongly moved cloudscape above a low, open landscape. A watercourse winds from the foreground toward the middle plane and, together with the ochre-brown shore, forms a clear depth line. Dark vegetation bounds the foreground, while a few slender, almost leafless trees on the right sharply contrast with the light sky.

The painting is powerful and freely composed with broad brushstrokes and locally thickly applied paint. Blue-gray, white and cream-colored areas in the sky contrast with intense greens, ochers, browns and dark gray tones in the landscape. Especially the clouds are modeled with a lively, impasto-like touch; in the terrain, compact color fields and short strokes alternate. The low horizon enhances the emphasis on the atmosphere and the spatiality of the landscape.

Executed in oil on panel. Dimensions of the work about 26 × 40 cm; including the frame about 46 × 59 cm.

Biography of the artist
Hubertus Josephus ‘Jos’ Frissen (Houthem, 1892 – Kerkrade, 1982) was a Dutch painter who mainly painted landscapes of Limburg and the Ardennes. He enrolled in 1914 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, but could not begin his studies there due to the outbreak of World War I and developed largely as a self-taught artist after the war. Frissen’s oeuvre is characterized by a free, painterly treatment of the landscape, in which light, cloudscapes and the characteristic topography of South Limburg play a leading role. In 1950 he founded the Valkenburg Art Circle Henri Jonas. His strong connection to the Limburg landscape, and in particular the Geul valley, forms the running thread in his painting."} }-009} } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } }