Piet van Wijngaerdt - olie op doek, gesigneerd rechtsboven - Sold

Piet van Wijngaerdt (1873-1964) was a real late bloomer. His modern-oriented painter friends already decorated their palette with the most beautiful colours, but Piet van Wijngaerdt still worked in the atmosphere of the Hague School. When he exhibited his work in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1910, the light of the 'Luminists' radiated from the walls. At that moment Van Wijngaerdt must have realized that he had missed the connection with modern art. A rapid catch-up followed; in which he still incorporated luminism.

In 1914 he changed course radically: dark and bright colors appeared on his linen, in strong contrasts. Details made way for large surfaces, placed against each other almost without lines. This new and very expressive style of painting was widely imitated. Especially after Van Wijngaerdt founded the Signaal movement in 1916, together with the French cubist Henri Le Fauconnier. His views on New Painting ultimately formed the theoretical foundation for the Bergen School.