Lot 62: Pyke Koch , 1901-1991 Rozen oil on panel

signed v.P v.P. oil on panel

29 by 20 cm.

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Pyke Koch, Schilderijen en Tekeningen, February - May 1995, no.63, illustrated

Collectie Drs Loek Brons B.V., Amsterdam
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Painted circa 1949
PROPERTY OF A DUTCH PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Twenty years before Pyke Koch painted the cypress (please see lot 57), he painted these two roses. Koch liked using traditional symbols and put them in different settings so their values were remeasured. He painted roses as a symbol for friendship and this work is dedicated to his friend Henriëtte Bienfait, whose nickname was Pietje. The initials in the corners thus stand for 'voor Pietje van Pyke' (for Pietje from Pyke).
The roses are painted in a very realistic fashion but nonetheless they seem unfamiliar. Maybe this is because of the mat palette in which they are painted. Also, their isolation from other flowers and their setting in a strange atmosphere with beams of light dramatically falling from the upper right corner gives the scene something surreal. Altogether it is clear this painting is not merely a representation of roses. However, the artist's true intentions remain a mystery to us.