Hans van Norden - Rustende motorrijder

Hans van Norden was the founder of De Realisten in 1948, together with Nico Wijnberg and Theo Kurpershoek. They stuck to realism because art had to be and remain understandable for a large audience. They protested against the abstract art of Karel Appel, among others, which charmed museums, but which many ordinary people did not see. In 1951 De Realisten finally got a major exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Nevertheless, the art world turned away from realism. Only in recent decades has the realization dawned that post-war realism has also produced magnificent work. This small painting bears witness to that. The realism of the sleeping motorcyclist (is it Van Norden himself?) under a tree on a knoll under a blood-red sky  offers plenty of room for interpretation through the contrast of innocent sleep versus the threatening sky,  with the engine as a watchman. The title is written on the back by the painter himself. The painting is in a suitable frame.