Henri van de Velde

HENRI VAN DE VELDE (Amsterdam, 1896 - 1969)
"Christ". Art Deco period, ca. 1930.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner: "HVDVELDE".
Measurements: 82,5 x 81 cm; 111,5 x 109 cm (frame).

This work of Henri van der Velde is located in a suggestive balance between tradition and modernity: classic in its iconographic conception and its formal rigor, but modern in its compositional refinement and aesthetic sensibility. The representation of Christ takes up a devotional theme, but approaching it from a serene and restrained point of view, far from the exacerbated dramatism of other traditions.

The artist concentrates the composition on the torso, modeled with anatomical clarity and tonal softness, while the landscape unfolds with meticulous detail in which animals and vegetation acquire a symbolic value. This precise attention to nature links to the heritage of the Flemish primitives, especially Jan van Eyck and Jeroen Bosch, whose influence is perceived in the spiritual integration of the environment.

The stylization of the body, the balance of masses and the chromatic refinement also place the work in the aesthetic climate of the Art Deco period. Van der Velde avoids the subjective expressiveness of Expressionism, opting for an objective and carefully constructed painting.

Born in Amsterdam and trained with H.M. Krabbé, Henri van der Velde developed a production often centered on biblical and mythological scenes, seeking to reconcile the pictorial tradition of Northern Europe with a figurative sensibility of the twentieth century. In this work, this synthesis reaches a particularly successful expression.