Jaap Mooy - Surrealistic Figures - Sold

An original pen drawing by the Bergen artist Jaap Mooy (1915-1987) (not a reprint) surreal image of a statue-like figure with a snake / serpent around its waist and a hidden figure hidden in the foundation of the statue.
Rare opportunity for an original work by Mooy, with hidden over-drawn parts visible in the light, the viewer also gets an insight into the master's working method, very beautiful dark work with signature at the bottom left.
Trained as a blacksmith and metalworker, he came into contact with the visual arts through Charley Toorop in the late 1930s. Toorop advises him not to train as an artist, but rather to remain self-taught. With his Cobra-like, then surreal or more naive-expressive art, Mooy cannot be placed in a stylistic box. He is a loner, but above all a committed person. The experiences gained during the Second World War are expressed in his many collages, drawings and (scrap) sculptures. In this he takes a stand against those in power, against systems and dependency, and stands up for the victims.
The Bergen artist Jaap Mooy, trained as a blacksmith and metalworker, came into contact with visual art through Charley Toorop in the late 1930s. Toorop advises him not to train as an artist, but rather to remain self-taught. With his Cobra-like, then surreal or more naive-expressive art, Mooy cannot be placed in a stylistic box. His early work shows a kinship with Cobra, but loner Mooy does not want to become a member of this movement. He did participate in the Venice Biennale in 1964 with Karel Appel and Lucebert. Mooy also expresses his ideas about the world in so-called viewing boxes: montages of all kinds of materials, found objects and texts, which sometimes read like a personal diary, sometimes as 'messages from society'. In his work on paper he portrays a chaotic, oppressive world. He builds sculptures from scrap metal that often take the human figure as a starting point. Time and again children, people, animals and angels try to 'elevate' themselves: as a warrior, general or dictator, as a child, girl or woman, as an animal, bird or Icarus. His later images show similarities with absurdism, in which the madness of everyday life is a recurring motif.
Fueled by his experiences during the Second World War, Mooy speaks out in his work against those in power, against systems and dependency and stands up for the victims. The exhibition shows how deeply Mooy was affected by political and social events from the 1950s to the 1980s. With his art he responds directly and fiercely to situations in which crimes against humanity are committed, such as during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. He depicts political protagonists, but also religious leaders, as perpetrators.
A counterbalance is provided by the work from Mooy's last years, in which he again draws inspiration from the world of the child. He includes children's drawings and stories in his work and often draws together with his neighbor Jessica. It leads to a series of works in which Mooy shows the world he longs for: an unspoiled world, before upbringing, education, religion and society, in his opinion, force us into a straightjacket.