Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Koen Van Os - Part 1

Koen Van Os was born in 1910 and was predominantly inspired creatively by the 1920s. The 1920s and 1930s saw continued development and evolution of the key innovations of the early years of the twentieth century. To have these years as the formative period for an artist was to be surrounded by innovative practitioners of the pictorial arts. It was also a time of recovery and introspection after the horrors of the First World War, which saw significant shifts in the political world. Marxism was a prevalent political ideology which was also extremely influential among artists and their communities. The Bauhaus was founded in 1919, and became an essential place surrounding ideas in favour of the unification of art, craft and design disciplines – an idea that became known as the Gesamtkunstwerk. Surrealism came to be the predominant expressive mode of the 1920s, and was aided by the liberalism of Germany’s Weimar Republic, which was an environment that allowed for remarkable creative growth. noteworthy artistic developments included a kind of expressive mannerism which was exemplified by Brancusi, Modigliani and Soutine in Paris. Surrealism developed throughout the 1920s and 1930s, with a focus on the human unconscious - a central idea of Freudian theory. Important Surrealist artists include Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico, Andre Breton, Rene Magritte and Paul Delvaux. Due to its cultural importance, much of this ideology spread internationally.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series on the works of Koen Van Os:


1925-50 Carl Denig, Buitensport uitrustingen weteringschans 113-115 Amsterdam
(Outdoor sports equipment)
colour lithograph poster 78 x 54 cm

1925-50 Hij of Wij, Ratten gezien? Meld ze!
(Him or us, rats seen? Report them!)
colour lithograph poster 83 x 59 cm

1938 Jubileumtentoonstelling 1898-1938 Uit de schatkamers der oudheid. Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum
 (Anniversary exhibition 1898-1938 From the treasuries of antiquity)
colour lithograph poster 98 x 62 cm

1946-47 Zijlstra koffie, steed vers gebrand
(Zijlstra coffee, always freshly roasted)
colour lithograph poster 81 x 55 cm

1948 maak van weken dagen, verzend uw pakketten per luchtpost
(turn weeks into days, send your packages by airmail)
colour lithograph poster 83.5 x 59 cm

1948-49 Zijlstra kaas, volvette boerenkaas
 (Zijlstra cheese, full-fat farmer's cheese)
colour lithograph poster 80 x 55 cm

1948-49 Zijlstra koffie, vers halen + vers malen
(Zijlstra coffee, get fresh + freshly ground)
colour lithograph poster 84 x 57 cm

1948-49 Zijlstra koffie, vers halen vers malen
(Zijlstra coffee, get fresh grind)
colour lithograph poster 84 x 57 cm

1949 Publi Mondial
magazine cover 31.5 x 24.5 cm

after 1950 Emmabloem collecte, tòch nog elk uur een tuberculose patiënt
(Emma flower collection, still a tuberculosis patient every hour)
colour lithograph poster 34 x 24 cm

after 1950 Ratten? Maak ze onschadelijk
(Rats? Make them harmless)
colour lithograph poster 82 x 58 cm

1950 Amsterdam
colour lithograph poster 99 x 63.5 cm

1950-55 Tokyo, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
colour lithograph poster 101.5 x 64 cm

1950-60 met melk meer mans
(more male with milk)
colour lithograph poster 115 x 82.5 cm

1950-60 spaart ons houtdezit, staats bos beheer
(saves our wood, State forest management)
colour lithograph poster 79 x 56 cm

1950-75 Pijproken... mannenwerk!
(Pipe smoking... man's work!)
colour lithograph poster 116 x 83 cm

1950-75 Rijkspolitie, De weg vrij voor Uw toekomst
(National Police, Clearing the way for your future)
colour lithograph poster 79 x 54 cm

1950-75 Shell X-100 Motor Olie 
(Shell X-100 Motor oil)
colour lithograph poster 86 x 62 cm

1950-75 Stop 'n prachtpositie Rijkspolitie
(Stop, a beautiful position in the National Police)
colour lithograph poster 80 x 55 cm

c1950 Badkuipen, sneeuwwit porcelein - emaille
(Bathtubs, snow white porcelain - enamel)
colour lithograph poster 112 x 81 cm

c1950 Bata Diplomat Perfect
colour lithograph poster 116 x 82.5 cm

c1950 Creations D.W.
colour lithograph poster 156 x 117 cm

c1950 Niemeijers, Erkend de beste!
(Niemeijers, recognised the best!)
colour lithograph poster

c1950 radio ontvangst zonder angst 
 (radio reception without fear)
colour lithograph poster (version 1) 84 x 59 cm


c1950 radio ontvangst zonder angst 
 (radio reception without fear)
colour lithograph poster (version 2) 30 x 36 cm


c1950 Tamines, 90% Rendement
(Tamines, 90% Yield)
colour lithograph poster 80 x 59 cm

c1950 Zijlstra cacao
(Zijlstra cocoa)
colour lithograph poster 79 x 55 cm

c1950 Zijlstra chocolade
(Zijlstra chocolate)
colour lithograph poster 79.5 x 54.5 cm

c1950 Zijlstra soepen, in smakelijke variaties!
 (Zijlstra Soups, in tasty varieties)
colour lithograph poster 78 x 54.5 cm

1951 Amsterdam Fashion Week 21 - 26 May 1951
colour lithograph poster 84.5 x 63 cm

1951 Haast? verzending als luchtpostpakket naar vele landen mogelijk
(Haste, shipping as airmail parcel to many countries possible) version 1
colour lithograph poster 26.5 x 34 cm

1951 Haast? verzending als luchtpostpakket naar vele landen mogelijk
(Haste, shipping as airmail parcel to many countries possible) version 1
colour lithograph poster

1951-52 Bata shoes
colour lithograph poster
size not found

1952 Bata voor sport en spel
(Bata for sports and games)
colour lithograph poster 116 x 83 cm


Monday, 28 August 2023

Charles Pears - Part 6

Charles Pears (1873-1958) was a marine painter and lithographer, born at Pontefract, Yorkshire. Pears worked initially as a black-and-white artist for magazines from the late 1890s, serving as a theatrical caricaturist for Pick-Me-Up. During World War I he was an Official War Artist for the Admiralty, a position he repeated during World War II, and he gradually established a reputation as a sound marine painter with a strong sense of design. He was founder and first president of the RSMA and his work found its way into the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and the Imperial War Museum. However, as a versatile draughtsman he also did many posters and illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1922, and the works of Charles Dickens. He wrote a number of books, such as From the Thames to the Seine, 1910, and South Coast Cruising from the Thames to Penzance, 1931.He exhibited widely, including the RA, ROI and Fine Art Society. He lived in St. Mawes, Cornwall.

This is part 6 of a 6-part series on the works of Charles Pears:

Chapman Pile Lighthouse
n.d. oil on canvas 50.5 x 76.5 cm

n.d. Charles Pears at the wheel of his yawl "Wanderer" with his wife ahead of him in Juanita
oil on board 38 x 53.3 cm

n.d. Convoy assembling in Falmouth Roads
oil on canvas 51 x 92 cm

n.d. Great Western Railway Weymouth and the Channel Islands
colour lithograph poster 105 x 130 cm

n.d. H.M.S. 'Revenge' coming out of a squall
oil on canvas 75 x 60 cm

n.d. Harvesting
oil on canvas 38 x 56 cm

n.d. HMS 'Coventry' saving the hospital ship 'Aba' from destruction by German bombers
oil on canvas 101 x 126.5 cm
Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro

n.d. School's Done
watercolour on paper 20 x 24 cm

n.d. Lesson's Done
watercolour on paper 20 x 24 cm

n.d. Longships Lighthouse, Lands' End
oil on board 54.6 x 80 cm

n.d. Mauretania
oil on canvas 239 x 363 cm

n.d. Moonlit Barque
oil on canvas 102.3 x 127.6 cm

n.d. On Deck
monochrome oil on paper 43 x 29.5 cm

n.d. Open Water
oil on canvas 51 x 76.5 cm

n.d. Overdue
oil on canvas 51.1 x 61 cm

n.d. Pilot off the Needles
oil on canvas 79.5 x 112.3 cm

n.d. Sailing in open waters with a barque on the horizon
oil on canvas 51 x 76.5 cm

n.d. Salvaging the Wreck
oil on canvas 58.7 x 40 cm

n.d. Signalling for a Pilot
oil on canvas 101.6 x 127 cm

n.d. Southern Railway cargo steamer under attack from German aircraft during World War II
oil on canvas 80 x 113.4 cm
Science Museum Group Collection, London
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

n.d. Stormy Seas
oil on canvas 51 x 76.5 cm

n.d. Surrender of U-111 to the Trawler 'Lady Shirley'
oil on canvas 81.7 x 127.2 cm
National Maritime Museum, London

n.d. The bombing of 'The British Chancellor', 10 July 1940
oil on canvas 80 x 125 cm
Falmouth Art Gallery, UK

n.d. The Boxer Revolution 
watercolour and gouache on paper 27 x 17.5 cm


n.d. The Crossing Sweepers (attributed to Pears)
oil (on?) 40 x 43.8 cm

n.d. The marvel of Mulberry; Normandy Landing, June 1944
oil on paper 31.8 x 53.3 cm
National Maritime Museum, London

n.d. The Navy's here (attributed to Pears)
oil (on?) 40 x  43.8 cm

n.d. The Needles, Isle of Wight
oil on canvas 38 x 59.5 cm
Gallery Oldham, UK

n.d. The Pool of London during Dockland Air Raids, 1940
oil on canvas 101 x 152 cm
Guildhall Art Gallery, London

n.d. The Roadstead
oil on canvas 51 x 76.5 cm

n.d. There is no uninhabitable unnavigable (1)
oil on board 92 x 130 cm
Ulster Museum, Belfast

n.d. There is no uninhabitable unnavigable (2)
oil on board 92 x 130 cm
Ulster Museum, Belfast

n.d. There is no uninhabitable unnavigable (3)
oil on board 92 x 130 cm
Ulster Museum, Belfast

n.d. Three types of Iceberg
oil on board 13.9 x 46.5 cm
National Maritime Museum, London

n.d. Visit the Dockyards Chatham, Portsmouth, Devonport - Southern Railway
colour lithograph poster


n.d. WW1 'Aurora' and 'Ardiel' taking mines aboard at Grangemouth
coloured chalk on toned paper 55.8 x 78.8 cm
Imperial War Museum
© IWM Art.IWM ART 1057

WW1 An Officer of an ML about to board a Norwegian Steamer
oil on panel 21.5 x 25.4 cm
Imperial War Museum, London
© IWM Art.IWM ART 1049

n.d. WW1 Plan for the Pageant of Surrender: Proposal for a large four-panel picture
coloured ink 17.1 x 49.5 cm
Imperial War Museum, London
© IWM Art.IWM ART 1666

n.d. WW1 Submarine K7
chalk on paper 14.9 x 46.1 cm
Imperial War Museum, London
© IWM Art.IWM ART 1054

n.d. WW1 The lights of Rosyth from the Forth Bridge footpath. Port Edgar and the Fleet
oil on canvas 71.1 x 91.4 cm
Imperial War Museum, London
© IWM Art.IWM ART 631

n.d. WW2 San Demetrio gets home
(for Post Office Savings Bank)
lithograph and letterpress on paper 77 x 50.6 cm
London Transport Museum © TfL