Anton Rooskens

Anton Rooskens, born March 16, 1906 in Griendsveen and died February 28, 1976 in Amsterdam, is a contemporary Dutch artist. He was also a teacher at the Don Boscoschool in Amsterdam. In 1948, he tried to get closer to the experimental movement Reflex, then became one of the co-founders of the CoBrA movement with (among others) his compatriots Karel Appel and Corneille. Anton Rooskens' painting draws heavily on primitive art in particular African art as well as the intuitive surrealism of Joan Miró and André Masson. The play of colors and shapes of his canvases has undeniably made an important contribution to the CoBrA movement. Later he incorporated more and more magical signs and symbols in his paintings, especially after 1954 when he made a trip to Central Africa. After this African period, he began an expressionist phase where he reacted to the threats of the Cuban crisis with a more dynamic painting. In the mid-1960s, he returned to more colorful compositions more characteristic of the CoBrA movement.