Painter Bé Kracht from Hoogkerk will soon be 90 years old. He grew up with only one wish: to become an artist. Power, born in Garnwerd, has been a member of Kunstkring De Ploeg since 1979. In recent years he has made numerous paintings of nature in the vicinity of manor Mensinge. In the brand new museum rooms of Mensinge, the colorful paintings can be seen under the title Freedom of Colour, Bé Kracht and his Drenthe landscapes.
Bé Kracht prefers to paint outside. He then enjoys nature in complete freedom. Following the French Impressionists and the Ploeg painters of the first hour, Bé works in his own style.
The ruggedness of the landscape and the fascination for colors are reflected in his paintings. He painted, among other things, the winter landscape of the Peizerdiepje. At the fish ladder, in the back of the Sterrebos van Roden, he says: ,,The landscape has remained almost unchanged; there is now more reed. But that light in the winter… the sky beautifully reflected in the water. Gray and blue are the main colors. And white for the snow, really winters’.”
Bé likes the different seasons, because different colors go with it. “It gets warmer in the spring; the colors become softer. There is not yet a leaf on the trees, which often glow blue or purple in his paintings. Then the summers: the fields bloom and the corn comes up. In autumn, brown, red and soft purple dominate.”
Colors that come back in a painting of the surroundings of a farm on the Weehorsterweg in Peize. A painting with lots of color: an orange tinted tree in the foreground, the green grass, trees and the farm in front of it. “If I stand here again, I will experience it again. I remember one day I put my easel here and made the painting 80 percent in this location. I painted it at home. I haven’t changed the color scheme. I used it well.”
From April 8, many different oil paintings by Power can be seen at Mensinge. His technical ability is also explained. He does not turn his hand around for wood and marble work, linocuts, pastel and fabulous drawings and etchings. Attention is also paid to his teachers Evert Musch and Nico Bulder, as well as his fellow countrymen Jannes de Vries and Johan Dijkstra.
The exhibition Freedom of Colour, Bé Kracht and Drentse landscapes is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 13:00 to 17:00. Introductory lectures will soon be held under the title Art of Power. Each time a painting is examined more closely. The lectures are announced on the Mensinge website and are free to follow for visitors.