Museum Belvédère, in collaboration with Museum Arnhem, presents an exhibition diptych around the oeuvre of Jan Mankes (1889-1920). The exhibition Jan Mankes - giving expression to spiritual life shows the work Jan Mankes made in 1909-1915, the period in which he lived in the Frisian village of De Knipe and drew inspiration from the surroundings where Museum Belvédère is now located.
In De Knipe, Mankes developed his delicate art of painting. He found inspiration in the rural area of Oranjewoud, which could be reached via the Woudsterweg, on which Mankes' house overlooked, and in the yard at the back of the house. There he observed and sketched the birds and other small animals, to elaborate the preliminary studies in his studio into paintings. In addition, he made his first self-portraits and portraits of parents in De Knipe.
Within Dutch painting, Jan Mankes occupies a unique place. His empathy creates the dreamy and lived-in work that made him so beloved. He is seen as an important key figure between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and special is his affinity with the Tachtigers, symbolism and magical realism.
The exhibition provides insight into the three main themes within Mankes' work - landscapes, portraits and animals - and his artistic development up to 1915, the year he married Anne Zernike and traded De Knipe for The Hague. His artist mentality is echoed in the photographic works of contemporary kindred spirit Oscar Voch (b. 1962).
