Artwork
Decorative Landscape I
Decorative Landscape I is an oil painting by Jan Verkade. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Nationalmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1917, *Decorative Landscape I* is an oil painting by Dutch artist Jan Verkade. The work belongs to the Nationalmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s engagement with Symbolist and Post‑Impressionist ideas. It presents a tranquil rural scene rendered with softened forms and a muted palette, inviting quiet contemplation.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a modest house set amid a field, flanked by trees whose outlines dissolve into gentle, wavering lines. The predominance of greens, yellows and oranges conveys a subdued atmosphere, suggesting a peaceful, almost idealized vision of the countryside rather than a literal record of a specific place.
Technique & Style
Verkade employs oil paint to achieve a smooth, decorative surface, avoiding sharp edges in favor of rounded, flowing shapes. The color scheme is restrained, with tonal harmonies that mute brightness, while the brushwork merges forms, reflecting the influence of the Nabis group and the broader Symbolist tendency toward abstraction of natural detail.
History & Provenance
A former member of the Nabis circle and a pupil of Paul Gauguin, Verkade produced this work during his later period, when his Christian Symbolist concerns intertwined with Post‑Impressionist aesthetics. After changing hands privately, the painting entered the Nationalmuseum’s holdings, where it remains on display as part of the institution’s early‑20th‑century European collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johannes Sixtus Gerhardus "Jan" Verkade (18 September 1868 – 19 July 1946), afterwards Willibrord Verkade O.S.B., was a Dutch Post-Impressionist and Christian Symbolist painter.
