“Dirk Filarski was an incredibly talented painter,” says Angelika Bisseling of Museum Kranenburgh. “At some point he discovered a love for traveling and has always continued to do so.”
Bisseling is clearly a fan of Filarski’s work and speaks enthusiastically as if she had known him: “He leaves for Switzerland and becomes completely captivated by the mountain landscape, which he had to capture.” A nice detail is that Filarski made his work in the open air: “Just on your skis with your canvas under your arm and with your paint box outside.”
Bisseling talks enthusiastically as she walks through the museum with her colleague Laura Eijpe. Eijpe is the curator of the other exhibition that is currently on view: ‘Hidden Stories’ by Marit Törnqvist and she also tells with infectious pleasure: “Look, in this illustration you see the Amsterdam Westertoren and the nice thing is that Marit has a view of this part of the Westertoren from her studio, right from her skylight. So when I was with her I understood very well why she painted it this way.”
Loneliness, happiness and love
Just like Bisseling, Eijpe is a great fan of the work of the artist with whom she has worked, “I believe that Marit Törnqvist is one of the very best children’s book illustrators in the Netherlands. She has the gift of translating universal major themes such as loneliness, identity, happiness and love in images and words for children. And in such a beautiful way. Her drawings exude so much atmosphere, you can completely unleash your own imagination.”
For Curator Eijpe, Törnqvist’s illustrations are very personal: “The fact that the main character is small and the environment around it is very large, that really appeals to me. It is not ‘in your face’, the emotions are not obvious, you can always discover something in them yourself.”
Small figures in one big world
If you pay close attention, the two artists, who each come from a completely different time, appear to have much more in common than you might think.
Angelika Bisseling: “Making it tangible what it is like to be a small person standing in an overwhelming landscape. What that does to you. It can make you feel very small, it can make you feel lonely, it can make you incredibly happy. Those small figures in that very big world, that is a beautiful parallel between the two artists.”
The fact that both Filarski and Törnqvist allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the world out of wonder is clearly visible in both exhibitions.
Laura Eijpe: “There is a book by Marit called ‘The Happy Island’ and it is about a girl who searches for her own happiness on a raft at sea. She comes across all kinds of islands, but nowhere does she become happy. Ultimately she finds an empty island and then she feels: everything is still possible for me here. This is my happy island.”
He was called ‘Lakkie’ because he had a lot of polish on everything
Dirk Filarski was also looking for happiness in his work in a certain way. Bisseling: “He was a passionate man. He had to travel and he shows what the mountains do to him. How he experienced those mountains. Grand and perhaps frightening and overwhelming.” Filarski’s life revolved around traveling and gaining experiences, Angelika Bisseling thinks: “He was not easy for those around him. He was sloppy with his relationships, his friends called him Lakkie because he ignored everything.”
Two exhibitions, two artists, two worlds. But still the same wonder and the same search for happiness. ‘Over the top!’ and ‘Hidden Stories’ can both be seen until May 10 in Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen.