Van Dok, Willem

Profession/occupation: seed trader and later on deputy mayor of Beverwijk.
Art form/medium: naive painting.
Start artwork: at the age of 65.
Relevant info: his theme: the Westfriesian town, as resident of West-Friesland.
(Solo-) exhibitions:
References: catalogue: Westfriese Naïeven. De collectie naïeve schilderkunst van het Westfries Museum te Hoorn, Hoorn 1982;
Van der Endt, Nico; Lexicon Nederlandse naïeve kunst van de twintigste eeuw / Lexicon of twentieth century Dutch naïve art, Venlo/Antwerpen, 1995, pp. 32-33;
Braasem, W.A., a.o.; Naïeve schilders zien ons land, Amsterdam 1978, pp.78-83.

Willem van Dok did not start painting until his retirement, at the age of 65. Right from the beginning this self-taught artist made recognizable, highly personal works, in which his love of his native city and other small ports along the former Zuider Zee formed an inexhaustible source of inspiration. His colouring is particularly identifiable: mostly primary, very lively colours, a glorious blue and bright white being present in nearly all of his paintings.

Willem van Dok
1892 Enkhuizen, The Netherlands - 1977 Overveen, The Netherlands