Wolter & Water

Ended

To mark the 150th anniversary of Hendrik Jan Wolter's birth, Museum Flehite, together with the Friends of the Painter H.J. Wolter Foundation, is organising the exhibition 'Wolter & Water'. The nearly one hundred paintings and works on paper by the naturalist/impressionist Wolter on display demonstrate his permanent fascination with water. His attention was captured by the constant change of light and reflection on all kinds of water surfaces - from city canals to waves crashing against rocky shores. The exhibition clearly shows how Hendrik Jan Wolter developed from naturalist in his early work of the Amersfoort canals, to neo-impressionist and luminist in his later renowned Amstel scenes and seascapes in England and the Mediterranean. 'Wolter & Water' can be seen from 2 December 2023 to 1 April 2024 at Museum Flehite in Amersfoort.

Wolter & Water

Hendrik Jan Wolter was strongly fascinated by the depiction of diverse types of water. His work is imbued with an irresistible attraction to the movement, hues and reflection of water. Wolter's paintings, ranging from reflecting canals, to babbling brooks, shimmering rivers and turbulent waves, testify to his desire to capture the soul of water. He spent his career exploring the subtle nuances of light and colour that water has to offer. His masterful brushstrokes brought to life the brilliant and hypnotic nature of water in all its facets.

Wolter following the light from Amsterdam to Amersfoort to Rome

Hendrik Jan Wolter (1873 - 1952) was born in Amsterdam and settled in Amersfoort with his parents in 1885. In 1900, Wolter senior's company was also relocated to Amersfoort, where it grew into the installation company for central heating Wolter&Dros.
This company is still based in Amersfoort; now operating as croonwolter&dros. Although an artistic career was not a given in his circles, his arrival in Amersfoort marked the beginning of a period of artistic growth and development. The city and the surrounding natural beauty of the Gooi and the landscape around the Zuiderzee became a constant source of inspiration for Wolter.

Encouraged by his father, Hendrik Jan started at the Military School in Haarlem in 1892. After it soon became clear that this was not an unqualified success, he continued his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Here he became acquainted with the impressionist work of Monet, Sisley and the Belgian neo-impressionists Theo van Rijsselberghe and Emile Claus. In his later life, he enjoys finding inspiration abroad and leads a wanderlust. In Cornwall, London, Treboul, Douarnenez, Honfleur and coastal towns on the French Riviera, as well as on the northern Italian coast and in Rome, he could be abundantly inspired by the play of light and water in the sea, Tiber, but also, for example, in the Trevi Fountain.

Catalogue Wolter & Water

The catalogue 'Wolter & Water' on the life and work of Hendrik Jan Wolter will be published on 2 December. The 128-page publication in Dutch by Boiten Boekprojecten was written by Jop Ubbens, Maarten Jager and Onno Maurer, price €24.95.