The artistic world of Gertrud D is extremely multifaceted. She engaged in various creative activities which reflected the wide spectrum of her interests and eventually had an impact on her painting. Her perception of things in context with great intuition and openness was essential.
The experimental nature of her theater work, first as an actress, later as a costume, set and stage designer, inspired her orientation to fine art. For example, when designing costumes she worked with material, form and color, which was good visual and practical experience for future painter.
Gertrud D began to paint at the beginning of the 1990s. Although figurative elements (portrait) appeared in her work at the beginning, her intuitive sense of color and form led her to abstract painting. Meeting Sam Francis, an important figure of abstract painting, provided a key impetus. Although she developed her own intuitive and relaxed method of brush work, she used all techniques, but particularly dripping, splattering, as well as stains, planes and lines. Thus, she created an eruptive colorful living organism of painting based on the principles of color and form and driven by Temperament, inner energy and affinity to pulsing rhythms. A period of introspective monochromes was followed by the developing of a form in the vein of decorative flatness of curvy forms referring to Art Nouveau. Perhaps the swirling and circular motions, created in symbiosis with line and lively colors, which are unified by pearlescent and golden tones, arose from this form.
Gertrud D characterizes her concentration on the expansion of inner energy and the search for its balance in her work as follows: “Actually, painting is nothing more than a quest for your own inner source, and that playful source in me, which gives me the sense that I am creating entire worlds.”
Eva Trojanová
Gertrud D (Gertrud „Trudy“ Josephine Maria Derksen)
1966 – 1967 Drama College Amsterdam
1967 – 1984 actress at Theater Terzijde, de Nieuwe Komedie, D.A.T., de Toneelraad Rotterdam and de Bloemgroep
1985 – 1988 created “Groep Gertrud D” her own theater group. Responsible for direction, costumes and stage settings for several productions.
2006 opened Gertrud D Galleries in Amsterdam
exhibitions:
1997 Borl Castle, Slovenia
1998 Museum Jan van de Togt, Amstelveen, the Netherlands
Langenberg Kunst & Vorm Gallery, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
KunstRai Amsterdam, Langenberg Kunst &Vorm Gallery
2000 Nauta Dutilh, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
PAN Amsterdam, at Jörg Hasenbach Gallery, the Netherlands
2001 ARCO Madrid, Spain at Rayuela Gallery, Spain
2002 Palau Can Gomis, Barcelona, Spain
2006 Gertrud D Galleries, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2008 Gertrud D along with Marion Wild, Prague, Czech Republic
