Dick Cassee - Portrait III

Dick Cassée (1931-2023). Belonged to the most important graphic artists in the Netherlands. Lived and worked in Amsterdam. Cassée made landscapes, dune landscapes, non-figurative and geometric-abstract work. Dick Cassée was inspired by vast, deserted landscapes; his drawings are created from direct observation. He drew the subject on the spot dozens of times to "accomplish the shape", after which they were further developed in the studio. After 2006, the figurative likeness becomes secondary to him. Dick Cassée has donated a large part of his oeuvre to the Leiden University Library. Cassée's work is characterized by limitations in form and monochrome use of color. With minimal resources, a few lines and basic shapes, he invites the viewer to look for a long time. The apparently abstract drypoint prints and relief prints are always based on nature observation, with the Irish and Scottish landscapes in particular being an important source of inspiration. This results in tranquil images with great poetic expressiveness.