Portfolio with 16 ex-libris bookplates by Ludovicus Arnoldus (Lou) Strik

Portfolio with 16 ex-libris bookplates by Ludovicus Arnoldus (Lou) Strik

Ludovicus Arnoldus (Lou) Strik

(8-12-1921 / 23-11-2001)

Lou Strik was one of the last wood engravers in Western Europe who cut his blocks in a large format. His works can be read as a richly-illustrated picture book, a satirical fairy tale about Man, now and of all times. The fantastic and surreal prints have a powerful form-language and cannot be compared to any other contemporary work. Strik felt kinship with the medieval artists Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Breughel; and also admired the prints of Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Respect for his friend and colleague M.C. Escher can be found in the little architectural jokes, which Strik inserted into his prints and watercolours.

The publication 'Lou Strik, Printmaker' contains, apart from the large non-commissioned prints, much small graphic art, occasional graphics (such as New Year wishes), book illustrations, watercolour paintings and bookplates. The small prints form a separate part of his work and give entry to the world of the miniature.

They suggest another dimension, like spying through a keyhole into a hidden room. Thus sharpened by reduction, the image is clear and brilliant as a reflection in a drop of water. Lou Strik was a sharply observing artist. The manner in which he saw the world was critical, but that also brought forth the most poetic reactions in his work.