Marline Fritzius (1936–2006) was a versatile artist. She worked with various techniques, primarily watercolour, but also linocut, etching, oil paint, pencil, charcoal and ballpoint. Her subject matter is equally as varied: portraits, cityscapes, landscapes, flowers, plants and interiors. There is a special place reserved in her oeuvre for the hardboard panels that she painted with watercolour and when finished covered with varnish. But her most significant works are watercolour illustrations of flowers, plants and mosses that are painted with almost scientific attention to detail.
Marline was not only an artist but also a successful actress. She played the leading role in the award winning film Het Compromis, directed by her former husband Philo Bregstein. This opened the way for a film career in Rome. Yet she chose to dedicate her life entirely to painting. Her first solo exhibition opened in 1970, during which almost all of her work was sold. Marline’s career seemed to come to an abrupt end in 1976 when she contracted aphasia as a result of surgery. Dark years followed, but she was eventually able to give meaning back to her life but taking up painting once again.
When her powers of speech were affected, Marline discovered how stimulating it can be to think and work in image, which gave her the idea of giving others the chance to experience the positive effects of painting. She founded the Stichting Marline Fritzius and made available her studio on the Brouwersgracht in Amsterdam. Unfortunately Marline was no longer alive to witness the opening of the ever-successful studio ten years ago. Now sees the publication of the first book about the life, work and legacy of this special woman and gifted artist.