Tentoonstelling Van der Leck, Voor de kunst, Nobelstraat, Utrecht

Bart van der Leck designed this poster for an exhibition of his own work in 1919. Van der Leck had employed many elements of De Stijl in his work for a number of years, such as the use of primary colours and a high degree of abstraction. But by depicting horse and rider in a more or less ‘realistic’ way and utilising the diagonal, the artist was opting here for a personal interpretation that was at odds with the attitudes of De Stijl. He took the image for this poster from his 1918 painting Ruiter (Horseman). The suggestion of an equestrian statue is created by the red strip and the red block beneath the horse, which appear to function as a pedestal. The bar of colour above the horseman may represent the blue of the sky, but also serves as a counterpoint to the red block. The dissection of the design into individual elements also extends to the lettering. In addition to his work as a painter, Van der Leck has great significance as a designer of home textiles and as a graphic designer.