Figures & Portraits · 20th century
€ 1 900
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Condition report: Excellent original condition with strong, unfaded colors. Minor toning to the edges of the mount and light traces of handling consistent with use for magazine reproduction.
Original Illustration “Het Verschijnsel Mens” (The Phenomenon of Man) by Charles Burki, 1967 – Gouache Painting
Vivid original gouache on board by the Dutch illustrator Charles Burki (1909–1994), created for Panorama magazine in 1967. The artwork is boldly inscribed below the image: “HET VERSCHIJNSEL MENS – door Cris van Gurp. Illustratie voor Panorama, Nr. 10 – 1967.”
This remarkable piece visually interprets an episode from the Dutch popular science series Het Verschijnsel Mens (“The Phenomenon of Man”), inspired by the evolutionary theories of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. The composition captures an early stage in human evolution, depicting a community of primitive humans—likely Homo erectus—set against a lush, prehistoric African landscape.
The scene is animated with detail: figures prepare meat beside a stone enclosure, one male wields a bone club, another throws a stone at an approaching ape, while in the foreground, a curious individual examines a bright green lizard—perhaps symbolizing the dawning of curiosity and reason. Burki’s palette is strong and expressive, with vibrant greens and ochres under a dramatic sky, balancing scientific accuracy with a painterly sense of life.
Charles Burki was a Dutch artist of exceptional technical skill and range. Born in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in 1909, he trained as an architect before turning to illustration and fine art. His disciplined draftsmanship and compositional control reflected this background.
During the Second World War, Burki’s life took an extraordinary turn. When Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies, he was imprisoned in a Japanese camp, enduring years of forced labor under brutal conditions. He survived the sinking of a Japanese transport ship carrying prisoners of war when it was torpedoed—an ordeal from which only a few lived. Later, while interned near Nagasaki, he survived the atomic bombing in August 1945. These experiences of destruction and survival profoundly shaped his later art, imbuing it with a sense of humanity’s fragility and perseverance.
After the war, Burki returned to the Netherlands and rose to prominence as one of the country’s most prolific illustrators. From the 1950s through the 1970s, he created historical, scientific, and cultural illustrations for major Dutch magazines including Panorama, Elsevier, and De Haagse Post. His work combined precision with imagination, bridging art and education.
This 1967 gouache is a prime example of his mature style: vibrant, meticulously composed, and narratively rich. It stands as both an artistic document and a piece of postwar visual culture, reflecting mid-20th-century fascination with science, anthropology, and the story of human progress.
Condition report: Excellent original condition with strong, unfaded colors. Minor toning to the edges of the mount and light traces of handling consistent with use for magazine reproduction.
Framing tips: Best displayed in a natural wood or dark walnut frame with a neutral ivory mat to emphasize the vivid colors and prehistoric atmosphere.
Technique: Gouache on illustration board
Maker: Charles Burki, The Netherlands, 1967
