He initially studied chemistry and biology while also taking painting lessons at the School of Arts and Crafts. He met Carel Begeer while studying art history.
He began painting in 1910, influenced by German Expressionism and Italian Futurism.
From around 1922, the mask became one of Wichman's key themes. During a stay in Vienna, he was deeply impressed by Japanese art, particularly the expressive Noh masks. He described how a Japanese mask seemed to look directly at him, leading him to rediscover the "human side" of visual art.
The faces he subsequently created are generally not traditional portraits; they are distorted, staring, grinning, or grotesque. For him, the mask became a means of expressing something about humanity and society.
Wichman wrote that everything we perceive—and our reactions to it—eventually becomes a "mask." Consequently, his masks possess both psychological and satirical qualities.
Wichman was keenly interested in the applied arts and experimentation with materials. He created masks and other objects using media such as clay, wood, silver, and bronze. Between 1917 and 1919, he also worked with the Utrecht silver industry associated with Carel Begeer, gaining experience in metalworking.
A fine example is the *Small Mask* in the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen: a bronze object measuring just 4.2 × 4 × 1.5 cm, dating from around 1927–1928. It demonstrates that Wichman did not use the mask solely as a standalone sculptural form but also adapted it for small-scale applied art objects.
The Kunstmuseum Den Haag also holds several small bronze works by Wichman. Among them are a small bronze head of Paul Verlaine from June 1926 and bronze paperweights dating from approximately 1926–1928.
A distinctive feature: masks as functional objects
That is perhaps the most delightful aspect of Wichman’s bronze masks. He did not limit himself to "high" sculpture; for instance, he created paperweights, letter openers, jewelry, and bookends incorporating grotesque heads and masks.
