View of Nice
Oil
on canvas
44 x 52 cm
(17.3 x 20.5 in)
Signed lower right W. Dooyewaard
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about
In 1937 Willem Dooijewaard and his wife moved from the Dutch village of Blaricum to the South of France. They settled in Nice, a coastal city at the French Côte d'Azur. Dooijewaard was permitted access to the rehearsal rooms of the Opera House, to make sketches after ballerinas and ‘can can’ dancers, but painted landscapes and cityscapes as well. The city of Nice lies on a sloping hill and it has a lovely climate, which gives artists the opportunity to make beautiful views of the sunny, picturesque Nicean surroundings. Besides Dooijewaard, renowned painters like Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse were attracted by the clear air and soft light as well.
In this paining the beholder immediately recognizes the typical Nicean houses with orange roof tiles and soft yellow plastered walls. Dooijewaard painted the view from a bird’s eye view, as if painted from a window or vantage point. The hill at the right side of the scene and the tower that is to be seen along the horizon, are recognizable features of this popular Rivièra city. Dooijewaard rendered the scene in a clever manner, with swift brushstrokes, which indicates how talented he was.
