Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig (1866-1915)

Ferdinard Hart Nibbrig was born in Amsterdam in 1866. At an early age his artistic talents were discovered, and encouraged. He started with a training to become an architect in 1881 but later switched to the fine arts. During his sojourn in Paris from 1888 till 1889 he got acquainted with Theo van Gogh and his wife. Back in Holland he studied at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam, and had a studio on the Rozengracht until 1894. From 1894 on Hart Nibbrig lived in Laren, but often travelled during the summer months. He became acquainted with modern artists like Jan Toorop and Jacoba van Heemskerck who helped him to develop his talents.
Remarkable about Hart Nibbrig’s way of painting is the fact the he used two different styles throughout most of his career. Next to the precise and detailed way of painting in darker colours he also used the technique of pointillism. He mastered this style to the utmost perfection and created many delightful landscapes dazzling with coloured dots. He exhibited these painting with much acclaim in Holland and abroad.

Hart Nibbrig was a keen observer which made him a brilliant portrait painter and landscapist. His aim was to create through accurate observation a delightful and accurate picture, whether he painted a portrait or a landscape. To capture the right atmosphere in his landscape the style of pointillism was extremely useful to him.

The present lot Lente in Laren/Blaricum is a perfect example of his aims and was made around 1903. The numerous dots in soft colours create a wonderful painting of a garden in spring. Since Van Gogh’s blooming orchards, the subject inspired many modern artists. And like Van Gogh, Hart Nibbrig used a modern colour scheme. He painted the tree trunks blue and the grass underneath is a kind of purple. His approach even foreshadowed Mondrian’s painting of the Red Tree from 1908. Both painters knew each other from their stays in Domburg with Jan Toorop and Jacoba van Heemskerck. They also would become members of the Theosophical Society, although it never had much influence on Hart Nibbrig’s paintings. He never got involved into a more abstract way of painting. The subtle but daring colour combinations were enough for him. His Lente in Laren/Blaricum also brings in mind a painting of the same subject now owned by the Singer Museum in Laren, which is less colourfull and was made with bigger brushstrokes.
This fine example of Hart Nibbrig’s pointillism with the juxtaposition of small dots, gives the present lot a calm and sunny atmosphere; serene, technically mastered but also modern in many respects.