$400
Common Swift
ROY, Christiaan le
Jonge Gierzwaluw (original Dutch title)Lithograph printed on chine-collé on tan card-stock wove paper, 1940.Edition of 40.Signed and dated, titled,...
View full detailsChristiaan Le ROY
The artistic world created by Christiaan le Roy is quite a magical place, one in which every detail is beautifully realized. Careful study of nature was his primary goal, but his exacting execution brings a hyper-sharp focus that lends a magical realism to his vision.
He created many commercial projects throughout his career in addition to being a fine artist. In 1931, he wrote and illustrated a grammar school drawing manual, filled with charming, colorful practice exercises. He used several of his paintings and drawings as illustrations for his 1937 tourist guide for Doetinchem, in the Achterhoek area, a 9th century city by the river Oude IJssel in the Netherlands.
The artist seems to have had a strong relationship with birds and imbues them with an almost supernatural presence. For example, in the lithograph "Het dal der Wijzen" (The valley of the Wise), three dignified owls regard the viewer as emissaries from an almost magical realm. A lifelong resident of the Netherlands, he passed in 1969.