Wim Motz - 1960s - special blue unique linocut - Nuns and bathers - signed

• Artist: Wim Motz (1900-1977)
• Title: "Nuns and Bathers"
• Year: 1960s
• Technique: color linocut
• Edition: EA copy
• Dimensions (sheet): 35 x 50 cm
• Dimensions (in passe partout): 60 x 70 cm
• Signature: signed in black ink
• Condition: very good condition - beautiful fresh colors

Wim MOTZ (Rotterdam 1900 - Rotterdam 1977)
"When I paint, I am happy." Wim Motz displayed enormous productivity during his lifetime. His work ethic led him from Impressionism to Expressionism, from pure abstraction back to recognizable reality. His rebellious nature is betrayed in his working method. Wim Motz, a painter as well as a graphic artist, depicted his subjects on canvas and paper full of dynamism and passion. It was not until the age of 37 that Motz, a Rotterdam native, began his career as an artist. He took drawing lessons from Jan van Straten. In Motz, Van Straten found a grateful pupil who was trying to catch up significantly. Up until then, his education consisted only of primary school. Numerous jobs followed. "I worked in a market garden, as a fairground traveler, but also in the mines of Belgium. I stood as a merchant at the market and later took up wallpapering and painting." His never-ending urge to express himself through visual art led him to a new existence, that of an artist. And not without success. He exhibited in America, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Van Straten taught him what visual art is. "At first I thought it was about copying, but from him I learned that you have to experience it yourself." Initially, Motz did not paint realistic representations, but nevertheless easily recognizable ones, such as harbor and industrial scenes. For four years (1954-1958), he was part of the group 'De vier Rotterdammers'. From the figurative and immediately recognizable, he subsequently transitioned to total abstraction. As a member of the 'Ara Group', he mastered the technique of lithography. In addition to color lithographs, he also made black-and-white stone prints. He had already mastered the technique of linocuts. By abandoning figuration, Motz was able to devote himself entirely to line and color, the fundamental principles of art. He blossomed into a true emotionalist. With great passion, in an impetuous manner, he placed his subjects on canvas and paper. For his paintings, he used a bricklaying technique. Just like his great role model De Sta_l, he applied the paint to the canvas with a spatula. on. He was also known as the 'Painter of Color'. Although Motz can be classified as an abstract genre, impressions of the landscape, particularly the waterscape, harbors, and the river, formed the source of his inspiration. In the mid-1960s, he once again made room for figuration in his work. "I have developed a longing for recognizable forms again (...) I want to meet the needs of the viewer."
Text: Corien van Eyck van Heslinga