Gerardus Hordijk was born in 1899 in the Hague, the Netherlands. He was known as a graphic artist, illustrator, and painter. Hordijk studied engineering in Delft, but keeps following classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in the Hague. He graduates from both establishments.
In 1927 Hordijk moves to Paris and came to live in the same studio complex as Piet Mondriaan at the time; Rue du Départ. Here he mainly produces oil paintings, gouaches and watercolour paintings inspired by the ballet. But he also develops a personal working style incorporating a lot of ocre, whereas his later work exhumes a more simple serenity. Hordijk also liked to paint figurative classic subjects such as bathers at the Cote d’Azur, cityscapes and flower still lives.
In 1930 Hordijk marries his American wife Margaret Mathews, who was visiting France and learning the language at the time. The couple lived in Amsterdam for a while, before moving to New York in 1940 and changing their last name to Hordyk for marketing purposes. Just like Hordijk, Mondriaan, also moved to New York in 1940. The two met regularly and wrote letters to each other.
In 2006, the art dealer Marcel Gieling discovered the almost complete legacy of Hordijk in an empty villa; it contained hundreds of paintings and watercolours, next to letters of Mondriaan.
After Hordyk moved to Amsterdam once again, his popularity only grew. On October 15th, 1958, Hordyk passed away in the same city.
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