Jan Mankes

‘A bit like being in a daze. That is so necessary with painting. Because even though you want to make beautiful things so much and even though you try so hard, if the spirit doesn’t come over you, it’s still a chore. ‘ Discover the work of Jan Mankes (1889-1920) at Museum Arnhem and Museum Belvédère. With hushed landscapes, portraits, animals and: ‘spiritual values hidden behind visible reality.

Mankes occupies a unique place within Dutch painting. His empathy creates the dreamy and lived-in work that has made him so popular. He is seen as an important key figure between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and his affinity with the Tachtigers, symbolism and magical realism is special.

Cover Image: Jan Mankes, Knitting Woman behind the house, 1914. Collection Rijksmuseum