Eric Bauknecht - Study for "the dead pope".

Erik Bauknecht was born in Davos, Switzerland, as the son of the German expressionist painter and woodcarver Philipp Bauknecht. Like his father, Bauknecht created an oeuvre that is overwhelming in its power and intense use of colour. The sight of the monumental mountain forms and the wealth of colours were a rich source of inspiration for father and son.

In 1933 Philipp Bauknecht died. The following year Erik moved with his Dutch mother Ada van Blommenstein and his half-brothers to Baarn. He spent his youth there. For his education he went to Amsterdam. At the Institute for Applied Arts he obtained his certificate for drawing teacher. He then graduated in 1956 from the National Academy of Visual Arts.
Bauknecht made many study trips to Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia and Turkey. His native Graubunden in particular, to which he returned again and again, continued to inspire him. There are many paintings in which he 'sings' the mountain landscapes and the floral splendor of his youth. But he also immortalized the Dutch landscape. Especially the Frisian landscape, the Wadden Islands and the area north of Amsterdam, just within reach of the city.
He lived and worked in his studio on Albert Cuypstraat, once the studio of painter Mondriaan. In direct opposition to the trendy art climate of the capital, Bauknecht persisted in his naturalistic painting style. The fact that he believed in what he did is evident from the passion with which he painted. You could say that he was overwhelmed by what he saw and testified to this as frankly as possible. He was anything but averse to idealization.
His predilection for full-fledged colour produces images that are sometimes overwhelming. He has a fluent painting style. His canvases are firmly painted. The coarse brushstrokes testify to the passion with which he tackled his subjects. His way of painting also increases the expressiveness of his work. Like his father, Erik Bauknecht died at a relatively young age. He was 64 when he died in his studio.