Marinus Bies (1894-1975) - Vrouw met kinderen

In this intimate figure study by Marinus Bies (1894–1975), a seated woman is central, with a smaller child to her left and a second figure, only partly shown, in front of her. The woman is placed frontally and almost fills the entire height of the vertical image plane. Her hands are pressed together and the children gathered closely around her give the composition a compact structure. Bies paints with a powerful, highly visible brushwork and a predominantly earthy palette of umber, reddish-brown, ochre, and olive green. The face is built up from broad reddish-brown and dark brushstrokes, while the clothing is mainly defined by contour, tonal differences, and some green accents. The background is rendered freely and thickly in patches of beige, ochre, and gray-brown, causing the dark figures to stand out clearly. The painting technique remains distinctly visible and gives the surface a robust, sketchy liveliness. Executed in oil, marouflaged on panel. Top right signed “Bies”. Dimensions of the work about 30 × 20 cm; with frame about 45 × 35 cm. Provenance: private collection, F. de V., Eindhoven. Biografie kunstenaar Marinus Bies (Aarle-Rixtel 1894–1975), fully Martinus Johannes Bies, was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who was especially associated with the Brabant and Peel landscape. In addition to landscapes, his oeuvre also includes village views and figurative works. He received artistic training with, among others, Arnold Marc Gorter and subsequently developed a recognizable painting style with broad brushwork, strong tonalities, and often dark, earthy color palette. Bies worked as a professional artist from 1933. His bond with the Peel remained an important element within his oeuvre. In 1994 Museum Kempenland Eindhoven organized, on the occasion of his hundredth birth year, an exhibition of his work; a poster for this exhibition is now in the Rijksmuseum collection. Also fifty years after his death, his oeuvre was again highlighted in 2025 with several exhibitions in the Peel region.

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