George Martens artwork • painting • previously for sale View of the Paterswolde lake

George Martens was among the founders of the Groningen artists' collective De Ploeg in 1918. Already an established name at the time, he enjoyed particular success as a portraitist. Influenced by artists like Jan Wiegers, he adopted a more rapid and immediate technique, with a free and lavish use of colour. Martens depicted a diverse range of subjects: the city of Groningen, landscapes, still lifes, portraits, figural studies and his signature scenes of fairs and circuses. Boats were another favourite subject. After 1929 his work becomes less wild in character, with the alternating use of a palette knife and brush to produce a smooth paint surface. Aside from paintings, Martens also made posters, woodcuts and tapestry designs.