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Dirk Filarskiartist • painter • watercolourist • draughtsmanAmsterdam 1885-1964 Zeist

biography of 'Dirk' Herman Willem Filarski

Portrait of artist, painter, watercolourist and draughtsman 'Dirk' Herman Willem Filarski

Portrait of 'Dirk' Herman Willem Filarski

Dirk Filarski, together with Arnout Colnot, is considered one of the pioneers of the Bergen School. He mainly painted landscapes in and around Bergen and Giethoorn and during his many travels in Europe and North Africa. Filarski initially used light colors, until 1910 he painted his earliest luminist works in Bergen. Then his palette changed to browns and greens and his work became powerful and expressionist. He also painted still lifes and flowers, large in shades of gray and bright contrasting colors. Filarski was restless by nature. It was very difficult for him to live in one place and he traveled constantly to Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. Bergen remained his base of operations. 'The Netherlands is too simple in color. I don't have enough variety in mind, 'he must have said once.

Filarski was born in Amsterdam and attended the Kunstnijverheidsschool Quellinius and the Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid. There he became friends with Germ de Jong, Arnout Colnot, Dirk Smorenberg, Matthieu Wiegman and Wim Schuhmacher, with whom he would maintain close contact for many years. After his military service, Filarski and Smorenberg went to Bergen and Egmond aan Zee in 1907 to practice painting. At the 1910 exhibition at St. Lucas in Amsterdam, where luminist work by Filarski and Colnot hung next to that of Piet Mondriaan, Jan Sluijters and Leo Gestel, he was noticed by the Amsterdam businessman and art collector August Maschmeijer. He bought work from Filarski and Colnot, which made it possible for both painters to live in Bergen. In the mid-1910s Filarski was part of the core of the Bergen School. The French Henri Fauconnier pioneered this with the introduction of Cubism in the Netherlands, the deep, dark color gamut and the broadly lined areas of color that created powerful figures and landscapes. Other painters, including various study friends of Filarski, who joined the Bergen School were Matthieu Wiegman, Piet van Wijngaredt, Arnout Colnot, Job Graadt van Roggen, Else Berg, Germ de Jong and Harrie Kuijten.

Filarski made his most important work in Switzerland, where he stayed for longer periods between 1912-1917, often with Dirk Smorenberg. They then stayed in Clarens with Lien, Smorenberg's sister. During his first travels in Switzerland, between 1912 and 1914, Filarski painted in an impressionistic and colorful touch. During his second Swiss travel period in 1916-1917, which coincided with the heyday of moderate expressionism in the Netherlands, his use of color became increasingly brighter and more contrasting and reduced in broad strokes to a single color plane. His color palette consisted of striking, modern colors of deep blue, purple, pink, lilac, blue and light green. The omission of details gave his work a high degree of abstraction. Upon his return to the Netherlands in 1917, Filarski came into contact with the Bergen art collector Piet Boendermaker who would buy much of his work and, through his financial support, offered Filarski the opportunity to continue traveling.

In 1918 Filarski married Rachel 'Willy' Gerritse with whom he settled in Bergen and where in 1919 their son Ernst was born. Filarski was called 'Lakkie' or 'Lak' by family, friends and acquaintances because he didn't care about everything. Hardly anyone knew his real first name 'Dirk', Filarski's son Ernst was nicknamed Lakkie jr. Their son Gerard was born in 1927 and the family moved into the house 'De Vlerken' that was built for Charley Toorop.

After 1923, Filarski gradually started to work with lighter colors. He traveled frequently to the south of Europe, where he painted mainly in France in green, yellow and light brown tones. The restless Filarski also regularly traveled with Matthieu Wiegman, to Rome and Tuscany, among others. In the late 1920s, Filarski always painted at different locations in France for three years. There he increasingly left working with large areas of color behind him and detail came into his painting. His still lifes showed more attributes, village scenes were easily recognizable and he added a few figures to his cityscapes from time to time.

After the stock market crash of 1929, Boendermaker could no longer provide Filarski with a fixed monthly salary. Still, Filarski found a way to travel. He gave his paintings for hire purchase, which allowed him to paint in Morocco, Paris, Venice and Spain between 1929 and 1933. Filarski's constant travels, and thus his absence from home, put a great strain on his marriage, which ended in divorce in 1933. This was a very difficult time for the children assigned to Filarski. For even after his divorce Filarsky continued to travel; with Willem Schuhmacher he went to Spain and in 1936 and 1937 he spent months in Italy and Yugoslavia.

During the war, travel was virtually impossible and Filarski, who was living in Amsterdam at the time, traveled around the Netherlands to capture towns such as Staphorst and Giethoorn. During the war, his ex-wife Willy was also arrested in a raid in the Bijenkorf in Amsterdam and deported to Auschwitz, where she died in 1942. When travel became possible again after the war, Filarski went to Norway where he made landscapes in light colors. At that time he married a second time, to Lien Smorenberg, who had become a widow. He found a good traveling companion in her and the couple spent the first years of their marriage almost constantly abroad.

Between 1950 and 1960 Filarski made many gouaches. This technique was better suited when on the move, as it required less material to be carried. His gouaches, landscapes, still lifes and animal motifs that were strikingly colorful mark a new phase in his artistic life. Filarski died in 1964 and left behind an extensive oeuvre that was in the interest of collectors at home and abroad as well as museums. During his life he participated in more than three hundred exhibitions and was awarded many times.

previously for salepaintings, watercolours and drawings by Dirk Filarski


Dirk Filarski | A farmhouse in summer, oil on canvas laid down on board, 25.4 x 34.0 cm, signed l.r. and painted ca. 1908-1909

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A farmhouse in summer

Dirk Filarski | Dunes at Nordeney, oil on canvas, 36.4 x 50.5 cm, signed bottom right and dated 1911

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Dunes at Nordeney

Dirk Filarski | South European landscape, oil on canvas, 45.6 x 54.8 cm, signed l.r. and dated '49

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

South European landscape

Dirk Filarski | A bridge, Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 54.2 x 65.3 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A bridge, Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | Arums in a vase, oil on canvas, 100.5 x 80.2 cm, signed l.l. and painted ca. 1918-1922

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Arums in a vase

Dirk Filarski | Farmhouse, Staphorst, oil on canvas, 54.1 x 65.4 cm, signed l.r. and dated '39

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Farmhouse, Staphorst

Dirk Filarski | A flower still life, oil on board, 64.6 x 53.9 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1943

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A flower still life

Dirk Filarski | Flowers, oil on canvas, 27.2 x 22.3 cm, signed l.r. and executed in the 1950's

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Flowers

Dirk Filarski | Ootmarsum, oil on canvas, 54.4 x 65.0 cm, signed l.l. and dated '44

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Ootmarsum

Dirk Filarski | Little bridge in Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 55.4 x 65.8 cm, signed l.l.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Little bridge in Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | A still life with summer flowers, oil on panel, 63.7 x 52.5 cm, signed l.r.and verso on label and dated '53

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A still life with summer flowers

Dirk Filarski | Farmhouse, Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 65.3 x 81.5 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1943

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Farmhouse, Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | Fruit and flowers, oil on canvas, 50.2 x 40.2 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1941

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Fruit and flowers

Dirk Filarski | Farmhouses, Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 56.2 x 65.5 cm, signed l.l.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Farmhouses, Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | Beanpoles, oil on canvas, 60.0 x 150.0 cm, signed l.r. and dated '10

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Beanpoles

Dirk Filarski | Haycocks in a landscape, oil on canvas, 27.3 x 38.2 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1913 on the reverse

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Haycocks in a landscape

Dirk Filarski | Road in Staphorst, oil on canvas, 54.0 x 65.4 cm, signed l.r. and dated '39

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Road in Staphorst

Dirk Filarski | A landscape by Rothenburg, oil on canvas, 83.9 x 66.4 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A landscape by Rothenburg

Dirk Filarski | A view of Teruel, Spain, oil on canvas, 65.6 x 81.8 cm, signed l.l. and dated 1935

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A view of Teruel, Spain

Dirk Filarski | A landscape, Fès Marocco, oil on canvas, 65.4 x 54.2 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1930

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A landscape, Fès Marocco

Dirk Filarski | Swiss landscape in the area of Busier, oil on canvas, 65.6 x 90.0 cm, signed l.r. and dated '16

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Swiss landscape in the area of Busier

Dirk Filarski | A view of Warmenhuizen, oil on canvas, 54.3 x 65.4 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A view of Warmenhuizen

Dirk Filarski | A flower still life, oil on canvas, 100.0 x 89.8 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A flower still life

Dirk Filarski | A hilly landscape, Tourette-sur-Loup, oil on canvas, 66.2 x 83.2 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A hilly landscape, Tourette-sur-Loup

Dirk Filarski | Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 54.5 x 65.3 cm, signed l.r. and painted circa 1926

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | A flower still life, oil on canvas, 100.0 x 80.0 cm, signed l.r. and dated '49

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A flower still life

Dirk Filarski | A flower still life, oil on canvas, 50.2 x 40.4 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A flower still life

Dirk Filarski | A bridge, Giethoorn, oil on canvas, 65.0 x 80.6 cm, signed l.l.

Dirk Filarski

painting • previously for sale

A bridge, Giethoorn

Dirk Filarski | A french mountain village, gouache on paper on panel, 54.8 x 45.5 cm, signed l.r. and dated '53

Dirk Filarski

watercolour • drawing • previously for sale

A french mountain village

Dirk Filarski | A farm in a wooded landscape, gouache on paper, 64.5 x 54.0 cm, signed l.r.

Dirk Filarski

watercolour • drawing • previously for sale

A farm in a wooded landscape


for salepaintings, watercolours and drawings by Dirk Filarski


Dirk Filarski | Dent de Jaman near Montreux, oil on canvas, 69.9 x 54.8 cm, signed l.r. and dated '12

Dirk Filarski

painting • for sale

Dent de Jaman near Montreux

Dirk Filarski | Chernex, Switzerland, oil on canvas, 58.7 x 42.8 cm, signed l.r. and dated 'Chernex' '12

Dirk Filarski

painting • for sale

Chernex, Switzerland

Dirk Filarski | Still life with daisies and sunflowers, oil on canvas, 60.2 x 50.3 cm, signed l.r. and dated 1934

Dirk Filarski

painting • for sale

Still life with daisies and sunflowers


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