Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
By Matthieu Wiegman
Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
Forest around the ”Oude Hof” in Bergen
Mattieu Wiegman depicts the landscape at the Oude Hof estate in Bergen, Noord-Holland in dark tones. The enclosed composition brings to mind a cathedral, with the trees as pillars. Though the sky is not visible, the light shines through the trees here and there. The alternating dark elements and light accents create rhythm and tension. Woods around the Oude Hof is considered to be one of the clearest examples of the ‘Bergen School’ of painting. Bergen attracted countless artosts during the first part of the twenthieth century. Many of them painted in a style which combined Cubism and Expressionism. This dominant style was later referred to as the ‘Bergen School’. In Wiegman’s landscape, the dark colours, simplified forms, the contrast of light and dark and the rough brushstrokes are typical characteristics of this ‘Bergen School’.