Artists
C. (CAREL) WILLINK
1900 Amsterdam - 1983 Amsterdam
Carel Willink was the most important Dutch painter of magic realism. He also painted many portraits of wealthy Dutchmen. He was born in Amsterdam and made his first oil painting at age fourteen. He attended art school in Berlin. He was a pupil of Hans Baluschek at the International Free Academy. Until 1924 he painted mostly abstract, influenced by Constructivism. This was followed by his experiments with Cubism and Futurism. Because of his trip to Italy, he was influenced by Giorgio de Chirico, who produced metaphysical paintings. This art gives a sense of alienation and that is how Willink arrived at his magical realism. Often landscapes and classicist architecture are the background gravel of they figures or animals. The canvases look pessimistic and give a sense of emptiness and decay. He made extensive use of photography to get as close to reality as possible. In addition, lighting played a major role in his work. Carel was 83 years old when he died in Amsterdam.