Gerard Verdijk

Even though Gerard Verdijk (1934-2005) passed away at the beginning of this century, many still remember him as a striking and versatile artist. From the middle of the 20th century until the beginning of the 21st century he was active within a wide area of the visual arts. He was a poetic and philosophical man who manifested his creativity through a wide range of materials and techniques. He was a curious man, eager to learn, who travelled through Europe, Turkey, The Middle-East, North-America, Africa and Japan to get acquainted with other cultures. He cannot be placed within one art-historical movement. The ever-changing world around him influenced his style and the use of his materials. When generalised his works can be placed in a few style periods: Abstract/Informal, Zero/Pop-Art, Fluor/ Perspex and Zen/Haiku. In all these periods spaciousness, movement and repetition are recognisable elements. In the 13 years after his passing in 2005, the life and works of Gerard Verdijk were meticulously documented by his wife Josephine Sloet. This monograph, a true “life’s work” of 396 pages with 200 large images of his works came into being at Gerard’s own request. He was also clear about the book’s motto: The Mountain of Einstein. According to Albert Einstein, the creation of some something new can be compared to climbing a mountain, where one would obtain changing and growing perspectives along the way and would discover unsuspected connections between our customs and the rich variety of our environment.