Selhorst, Joseph
Background: has lived a nomadic life.
Education: orphanage, primary school
Profession/occupation: a dogsbody, musician
Art form/medium: drawing and painting.
Start artwork: from childhood, at the age of 14.
Relevant info: Zoo visits, for animal study.
References: Juffermans, Jan; Met stille trom. Beeldende kunst en Utrecht sinds 1900. Utrecht 1996, pp. 182-184. Heesen, Hans; Joseph Selhorst, outsiderkunstenaar, in: Nynade, Kunst & Letteren, nr 13, December 2010
Joseph Selhorst drew throughout his whole life. As a boy he created primarily Indian scenes, inspired by Tarzan films and comic books. Then came the lions and tigers, which he used until his old age. Selhorst also visited Ouwehands Zoo in order to study the tigers’ stripes. The precision of the markings became imprinted in his mind. Selhorst always carried notebooks containing shopping lists and drawings. From these he derived his ideas for larger drawings. After his 65th birthday he sometimes made enlargements of old sketches on a photocopier, up to A3 size. He further embellished the result and coloured it in using ballpoint pen. If he did not like a component, he would simply cut it out and paste in a new one. This was then copied again. The lines from his notebook pages are occasionally visible in his later enlarged drawings.
Gift from Frans La Poutre.
Joseph Selhorst1932 Utrecht, The Netherlands - 2008 Utrecht, The Netherlands
