Stamp Art: Pyke Koch

[Netherlands] (b 1901/d 1991)

" (..) Pyke Koch and the painter Carel Willink are considered to be the foremost representatives in the Netherlands of Magic Realism, a style of painting in which the scenes depicted seem realistic yet uncanny or unlikely. (..) he was born in Beek but he moved to Utrecht to study law at the University..In the 1920s he met Charley Toorop who was already a famous painter. He probably became interested in painting through their friendship. (..) In the summer of 1927 Koch made his first painting , and it made a strong impression on the painter Cor Postma who arranged for Koch to be part of several exhibitions in the following years.. (..) Strangely, from the very start his paintings were admired for their technical perfection, even though he had had no formal training (..) and Koch was fond of his image as a self taught painter.. He did follow classes at the Art Historical Institute of the University Utrecht where he studied the theories of art and even theories about art practices (the historical use of materials and such) but he never seems to have had lessons in drawing or painting. (..) During the 1930s his work became very popular. It was often called Magic Realism, a term he quite liked. (..) In those years Koch painted many masterpieces that were widely admired in exhibitions. He was also active as a designer for graphic work. He designed postage stamps and for instance, the Utrecht street lights...(..) Early in the 1980s Koch was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "

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Biography

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Photo

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Netherlands 1936 "300th Anniversary of the Utrecht University" (2,2,2) [Photo] Sc(204,205) [ image credit of Stampworld ]