In Museum Belvédère in Heerenveen you can admire Voorbij de Noord with work by the artist Zoltin Peeter, who died in 2019. The exhibition – which also includes work by other, sometimes artist friends – is a pleasure to visit.
Zoltin Peeter, born in Amsterdam under the name Peter Zwier, was a special appearance. A wiry man, warped by life. Wearing brightly colored running shoes and glasses on his sharp nose, he could almost bend over to a statue, canvas or paper. His judgment about art and other matters was as sharp as his nose and his gaze behind those narrow glasses.
Since the 1970s he has lived in the Frisian countryside, where he worked on his oeuvre without compromise. After making a name for himself at a young age with large etchings, he later mainly produced drawings and installations. Hardly anything of the latter has been preserved, the objects have withstood the test of time and the holes in the roof of his farm have not. Stacks of drawings were barely saved from moisture and silverfish after his death.
Norway and Iceland
He even ensured that part of his work was destroyed, because he wanted to keep only the best. However, there was still a nice collection left, from which director Han Steenbruggen of Museum Belvédère made a choice for the exhibition. Zoltin Peeter – Beyond the North . A title fitting for the work that is so inspired by his travels to Iceland and Norway.
In a display case are some sketchbooks that he took with him when he went into the mountains alone with his tent. It contains rough drawings of mountain ranges, plains and waterfalls, rivers, rocks and an occasional fence. Mostly in black on white, shadow and light. The Icelandic waterfall Dynjandi occupies an important place.
In his studio in Hallum he developed these sketches into drawings, in which he did not so much recreate nature, but used elements for his own world. He said: “I want to overcome nature and use my nature experiences to develop my own visual language. […] It is the same and very different at the same time. I can play with that fact and create new mountains, waterfalls, clouds and rainbows.”
And you see it again. The shape of the foaming water as a separate element, with a small mountain range next to it that was many times larger in proportion. Or a boulder, in different shades of gray combined with stripes in the icy blue of a glacier. He never completely fills the paper, space plays the leading role between the lines, surfaces and motifs. It’s not easy work, but if you make the effort you’ll gain access to Zoltin’s universe.
Artist friends
Visitors to the museum’s west wing are immediately met with a shock Wyred landscape by the artist duo Kaneli and Smit. A large white canvas with crisscrossing black lines. It is reminiscent of a reed field, with some broken stems. Steenbruggen subsequently combined Peeter’s work with that of other artists, sometimes friends of Zoltin, in the various ‘rooms’ of the west wing. Freely associating based on shape, color and theme.
Zoltin is joined by two smaller drawings by André de Jong, who was just as fascinated by Iceland and Norway as his friend. The colors in their drawings are similar, the interpretation of the landscape differs, and yet it is recognizable. Fred Landsman with his elegant gestures hangs near a large drawing by Alle Jong, the first winner of the Zoltin Peeter Prize. It also plays with the concept of space, albeit in a completely different way. It is almost as if he wants to take the viewer with him into a cave or into the depths. Here it is Wynwak by Ids Willemsma, with its reference to drifting ice related to Zoltin’s lines and that of the three other artists.
The same fascination for constructions, disconnected from their surroundings
There is a visual rhyme between a painting by Jan Snijder and the waterfalls of dust made by André de Jong. In another room it is precisely the colors of the busy Quantum Jump van Machteld van Buren and Expecting by Paul Verheul who return to Zoltin Peeter. In a completely black and white room, a large etching from the beginning of Zoltin’s career hangs next to it Windows in the stable by Leon Adriaans and the almost black photo by Vincent van Gaalen, Azores Forest .
In five objects from the series Shape by Egbarta Veenhuizen you see the same fascination for constructions, separated from their environment. Peeter made a series in which tents can be recognized, in Veenhuizen it is a fence with a path.
And anyone who thinks that the abstract work of the main character cannot tolerate figuration is wrong, because it combines just as well Tuelgarden – Myggenäs by Sámal Joensen-Mikines, three works The Deelen from Sjoerd de Vries, Bad luck by Médard Verburgh and Houses on the Iepenweg in Amsterdam by Ed Dukkers, and even with Farm North Holland from his father Dick Zwier, with whom Zoltin certainly did not want to be compared, hence his stage name.
In the east wing of the museum Relationships & Contrasts on display, based on the collection of Hans and Cora de Vries, who were also very free in combining work. But in Beyond the North the diversity is greater, the result is more playful. The exhibition is a pleasure to visit, because in every room you will be surprised by other guests of Zoltin. It is almost certain that he would have been very happy about this, although he would probably have hidden his approval in silence and ice blue wrapping paper.
Zoltin Peeter – Beyond the North can be seen in Museum Belvédère, Oranje Nassaulaan 12, Heerenveen, Tues to Sun 10 am – 5 pm, until February 11, 2024
There are still drawings for sale. The proceeds from this are intended for the ZP Fund Foundation. It rewards an ‘interesting artist’ annually with a prize (7,000 euros).