D.H.W. (DIRK) FILARSKI

Biography

D.H.W. (DIRK) FILARSKI
1885 Amsterdam - 1964 Zeist

The title of Renée Smithuis's monograph on Filarski, Zwervende schilder van de Bergense School (Wandering Painter of the Bergen School), neatly distils the qualities that define him. He never stayed in one place for long, forever in search of new challenges and fresh inspiration, with Bergen aan Zee as his base. He trained at the Quellinus School of Applied Arts in Amsterdam, where he met Dirk Smorenberg, among others, and where a lifelong friendship took root. A succession of patrons allowed Filarski to lead the untethered life of an artist, while Bergen remained his home base. It was here, around 1910, that an artists' colony took shape, counting Leo Gestel and Else Berg among its members. Filarski painted first in a colourful Luminism, experimented with a new Expressionism, returned to a more sombre palette, and then sought out detail and colour once again. Landscapes and still lifes were his favourite subjects. Switzerland, Italy, France, Norway and, of course, the Netherlands are the countries in which he worked. He took part in dozens of exhibitions and was a member of the St Luke's Guild (Sint Lucas). He left a substantial oeuvre, his work held in several Dutch museums as well as in numerous private collections.