Free Images

Vrij Beelden was the first group of artists in the Netherlands to strive after the war for a more abstract and experimental way of painting. After the war there were all kinds of prejudices against non-figurative art, and Vrij Beelden opposed this. The group arose from the group '12 painters', which aimed to attune art to some extent in a similar manner to the new, post-war era. De Vrij Beelden went back to abstract art from before the war. The group had a strong individualistic spirit and demanded complete artistic freedom for the artist. The group consisted for the most part of Amsterdam artists, who still showed strong figurative influences in their work, but there were also a few Hagenaars and a few Rotterdammers. In the abstract art of Vrij Beelden, fantasy, and not reality, was the starting point. As a result of internal disagreements, a split took place in 1950, and the group 'Creatie' was formed. Eventually the group merged into the New Pictures Liga.