Cornelis Doolaard Dutch, 1944-2018

Cornelis Jan Doolaard (1944, Poortugaal) grew up near Rotterdam. He began painting at the age of fifteen and later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. After three years, he left the academy to join the young movement of the New Figuratives, which gained considerable recognition in the late 1960s. 

In this early work, Cornelis Jan Doolaard demonstrates a clear affinity with the oeuvre of Melle Oldenboerrigter. This kinship is evident in the use of organic forms, references to nature and vegetation, the symbolic treatment of genital imagery, and the construction of compositions through multiple horizontal layers. Within these stratified pictorial spaces, landscape and corporeality converge. While this reflects a shared artistic sensibility of the period, Doolaard gradually moved towards a more introspective and psychologically oriented figurative practice.

His work is widely described as refined and poetic, marked by a restrained, mystical melancholy. Doolaard was deeply fascinated by human imperfection, which he depicted in an intimate and vulnerable manner. By placing his figures against largely empty backgrounds, he confronts the viewer directly, leaving no room for distraction or escape.

In his practice, Doolaard was a true perfectionist. He explored and manipulated anatomical proportions and perspective without ever allowing his figures to become cartoonish or humorous. On the contrary, these subtle distortions enhance their expressive power and emotional resonance.

His early work consists mainly of landscapes painted in exuberant colours, followed by finely rendered figures set within landscapes imbued with erotic undertones. He subsequently devoted a lengthy period to austere pastel drawings. In the final decade of his life, Doolaard focused primarily on painting human figures with a loose, sketch-like touch, often situated within enclosed, intimate spaces. 

Together with his wife Loes, Doolaard withdrew to the French countryside, where he could live and work in seclusion and devote himself fully to his compelling oeuvre. Around 2010, Cornelis and Loes moved permanently to Ippecourt in France, where he passed away on 18 February 2018. From the year 2000 until his passing, Cornelis Doolaard was exclusively represented by Morren Galleries. 

His work is included in numerous private, corporate and museum collections, including the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the ING Collection, Museum Møhlmann, the Drents Museum Assen, and others