THE DORDRECHT MUSEUM
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DORDRECHT 2011
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INDEX The view from the street The city as inspiration ………… 3 Light, sky and water capturing the moment ………………..8 Melancholy and yearning a romantic view …………………13 Ary Scheffer society painter in Paris ………………………….18 The business of art Abraham and Jacob van Strij …… 24 Aert Schouman The taste of his times ………………………28 Dordrecht masters from the school of Rembrandt……..32 Cuyp & Co. A family of painters………………………………….37 Still Lifes "semblance without substance"………………….42 Portrait of Dordrecht art for the city ……………………….. 47 Experimentation and investigation painting today……53
The new Dordrecht Museum It had been clear for years: the Dordrecht Museum was bursting at the seams. There was simply not enough room to offer all the facilities it would like to provide. Times had changed, and with them the demands made of a museum. To keep attracting visitors, it has become more important to offer a regularly changing programme of exhibitions. More and more, the museum has evolved into a centre for activities: a cultural meeting place that people come to not just to look and to learn, but also to participate and to relax in. Educational programmes for all ages, an attractive shop and good catering facilities are all part of the package. These changes formed the background for the largest renovation and expansion in the history of the Dordrecht Museum, which was completed in 2010. For years there had been a desire to provide a permanent and prominent place for the museum’s own collection, as well as a separate space for temporary exhibitions. As long as that was lacking, the permanent collection constantly had to make way for temporary shows. After several years of preparation, in 2005 the commission for the work was awarded to architect Dirk Jan Postel of the Rotterdam firm Kraaijvanger Urbis. Construction work began in the autumn of 2008. The new museum became a collaborative project by Postel and the interior designers from Merkx + Girod of Amsterdam. The new building was opened in November 2010. It is now a light and accessible museum, classical in a contemporary fashion, where old and new flow smoothly into one another. A museum with a large number of exhibition galleries, but also with an educational workshop, an auditorium and a good restaurant. Seen from the street, however, not much has changed; the historic frontage and the garden have been left much as they always were. Despite that, the new museum is more than four times as big as it was in 1904.
Art lovers and collectors The museum’s establishment in 1842 was a private initiative. Dordrecht had always had an important community of collectors, and in that year five of them decided that the time was ripe to found “a Museum of Paintings” that would bring greater recognition for “the talents of the living masters”. The Dordrecht Museum Association (Vereniging Dordrechts Museum) was duly inaugurated, and soon counted no fewer than 113 members. The city corporation made the upper hall of the Butter Exchange (Boterbeurs) on Wijnstraat available as an exhibition space, and so one of the country’s first art museums was born . There was already the Central Museum in Utrecht, but not yet the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam (1847) or the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem (1862). The museum’s very first painting was a gift from Chairman of the Association, and Mayor of Dordrecht, the Honourable J. C. Jantzon van Erffrenten van Capelle. He commissioned Willem de Klerk to produce a picture specifically for that purpose: View on the Rhine . Other patrons soon followed suit. The corporation lent four paintings, and more were purchased in the early years following an appeal to local artists to offer works for the museum. It was the start of a collection.
THE VIEW FROM THE STREET THE CITY AS INSPIRATION Nineteenth century [VANAF DE STRAAT GEZIEN]
Europe changed radically over the course of the nineteenth century, from an overwhelmingly agrarian and rural society into an industrial urban one. This had huge repercussions: the growth of major cities and the rise of a new bourgeoisie. Urbanisation created a modern, metropolitan way of life, which attracted many artists. For them, life in the big city was not just an adventure, it was a source of inspiration. George Hendrik Breitner and Isaac Israëls were two of the group of painters working towards the end of the nineteenth century known as the Amsterdam Impressionists. Instead of recording scenes of beauty, they were interested in capturing the dynamics of the modern city. They recorded every aspect of the urban environment: people stepping out, servant girls chatting or horses hauling a cart over a bridge in the snow. Breitner, Israëls and their peers worked in the impressionist style introduced by the painters of the Hague School. But they chose a subject that their colleagues had very much avoided: the city. Israëls found his favourite theme in the fashionable quarters of, especially, Paris: women in shops and boutiques. In Brussels, Jan Toorop and the twins Pieter and David Oyens recorded metropolitan society. Their scenes are mostly interiors, in which we see the well-to-do bourgeoisie flirting, entertaining and debating. Not every city had become a modern industrial metropolis. There were many provincial cities and towns that stayed largely unchanged. Dordrecht was a prime example. With modern port activity now concentrated in Rotterdam, Dordrecht remained what it was: pretty and picturesque. And there was another group of artists who were charmed by this very quality of such surviving preindustrial towns. They were fascinated by the timelessness and beauty of places like Dordrecht, with its charmingly ragged gables and now peaceful waterside setting. Painters like Jongkind, the Frenchman Boudin and, a little later, Witsen were keen to capture this romantic serenity.
Paintings
George Hendrik Breitner Carthorses in the Snow, 1890 On loan from RCE 1951 (Collection Van Bilderbeek)
”I shall paint the people on the street and in their houses… life first,” write Breitner early in his career. His city is Amsterdam. Not the picturesque Amsterdam, but the hard-working capital city. Here we see a team of horses dragging a heavy cart over a steep bridge. Viewed from below, the animals are depicted magnificently. It is as if they are heading right for you, panting and steaming in the slippery snow. With working people and working animals – that is where Breitner’s heart lay.
George Hendrik Breitner Evening in Dam Square
Dam Square in Amsterdam, the terminus of the city’s horse-drawn trams, on a misty evening lit only by the street lamps and those on the trams themselves. We can see only vague figures in the darkness, and in the background the silhouette of the old stock exchange, the Beurs van Zocher, which would be demolished in 1903. When first exhibited in 1890, this work caused a “shock of artistic sensation”. But not everyone appreciated Breitner’s robust style. One commentator even called this work a “mucky mess”.
Isaac Israëls In the Fitting Room at Paquin Israëls was a man of the city, the street “his living room”. It was strolling through Amsterdam, London or Paris that he found his motifs. Women particularly fascinated him, such as these fitters at the Paris couturier Paquin. Israëls recorded what he saw in an impressionistic style that was all his own, cheerful and full of movement. Contemporary audiences had to accustom themselves to it, but today it is very much admired. Johan Barthold Jongkind View of the Groothoofd at Dordrecht by Moonlight, 1886 Jongkind travelled to Dordrecht on numerous occasions, calling it a “typical Dutch town” on three rivers. His favourite spot was the “magical” Groothoofd, where the rivers meet. This is picturesque at any time of day, but has a true fairytale quality under a rising moon. Jongkind’s Dutch work sold well in France, and also encouraged others – Boudin, for example – to come to Dordrecht. Antonio Mancini Refreshment On loan from RCE 1951 (Collection Van Bilderbeek) A private tête-à-tête in a café, captured as if by a photographer quickly “shooting a plate”. But nothing could be further from the truth. Mancini worked meticulously, using a grid to tackle each square of canvas in turn and applying his paint thickly. All in an effort to reproduce “il vero”, the truth. The Italian artist became well known in the Netherlands thanks to a Dutch admirer, the painter Mesdag.
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Pieter Oyens The Art Lover, 1878 Some museumgoers are like this, leaning right forward with their nose almost pressed against the painting. Pieter Oyens captures his subject beautifully; he truly is a lover of art. The Oyens brothers had an eye for “ordinary” scenes, bringing a real “joie de vivre” into their works. They were very pleased with this “sujet”, as they called such paintings, and so it was submitted to the Universal Exposition of 1878 in Paris.
Willem Witsen Voorstraatshaven, Dordrecht, 1900 “I rise very early for it, because I’ve noticed that it’s not so pretty later in the day,” wrote Witsen in 1898. He was referring to the timeless beauty of Dordrecht, which fascinated him and which he found at its best in the quiet hours of the early morning. Here we see just the weathered lower walls of the houses, and their reflection in the rippling water. Witsen painted the scene from his rowing boat, capturing it from very close-up with a photographic quality.
LIGHT, SKY AND WATER CAPTURING THE MOMENT Nineteenth century [LICHT, LUCHT EN WATER]
Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, a new realism began to emerge in Dutch painting. Painters now wanted to record what they could see with their own eyes: without artistic tricks, without rules for the foreground, middleground and background, and without a “central theme”. The romantic painters of the first half of the century had not shown nature as she was, it was now thought, but instead produced artificial compositions compiled from an assortment of separate elements observed in nature. At the Dordrecht Museum, landscapes by such painters as Willem and Jacob Maris, Mesdag, Gabriël and Weissenbruch attest to this revolutionary new outlook. They are known as the Hague School, because they produced most of their work in the surroundings of The Hague. Following the example set by the English landscape painter Constable and the Barbizon School in France, they went out to paint “en plein air” – in the open air. For such artists, the real purpose of painting was to capture observations of colour and light. Reality produced skies with constantly changing atmospheric effects; no two moments were the same. And no longer were there any hard and fast rules to fall back on. The new realists of the Hague School began to paint “real” skies and “real” light. Changing weather conditions were rendered in shades of grey, with a great feeling for tonality. This can be observed in the beach and sea views by Mauve and Mesdag, in the multicoloured skies of Gabriël and in the leaden clouds of Jacob Maris. “Sky and light are the great magicians,” said Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch. And Willem Maris is quoted as declaring, “I do not paint cows, but reflected light.” The colour scheme for a painting was now taken directly from the “succulent green” of grass or the misty grey of a horizon. The link to Dordrecht in this part of the collection comes not so much from the painters or the places they depict as from the man who brought together a substantial proportion of these works: the notary public Willem Hendrik van Bilderbeek. It is thanks to him that the museum now holds one of the finest collections of nineteenthcentury paintings anywhere.
Paintings Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël Water Mill in De Leidsche Dam Polder Gabriël was critical of the grey landscapes being produced by his fellow artists. “The more I observe,” he claimed, “the more colourful and transparent nature becomes.” And, “Our land is not grey, even in grey weather.” Gabriel loved the sunshine which coloured the countryside. Or, as he put it and demonstrates beautifully in this painting, “Our land is fat and succulent in colour.” Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël The Driel Ferry A sweeping view of the Rhine at Driel, not far from Arnhem, with the local ferryboat. Gabriël here captures a moment of serenity on a windless summer day, if the clear reflection of the clouds in the water is anything to go by. Realistic? Gabriël himself said of his landscapes, “You have to select the beautiful,” omit the ugly and then “paint it exactly as you see it”. Willem Maris Summer On loan from RCE 1951 (Collection Van Bilderbeek) “I paint not cows, but reflected light,” declared Willem Maris. The theme of his work is sparkling sunlight and its reflection on sodden meadows, cows and trees, as Summer illustrates perfectly. The painting was submitted to the Venice Biennale of 1897, where it was bought by the Dordrecht collector Willem van Bilderbeek.
Anton Mauve Fishing Boat with Draught Horses on the Beach at Scheveningen, 1876 Vincent van Gogh was deeply moved when he saw Mauve’s painting. “Those nags,” he wrote, “those poor, sorry-looking nags, black, white, brown, they stand there patiently... They’ll soon have to drag the heavy boat… They pant, they’re covered in sweat, but they don’t murmur...” Scheveningen still did not have a harbour at this time, so its flat-bottom fishing boats had to be hauled up the beach.
Bernardus Johannes Blommers Sailing Toy Boats The carefree, unrestrained world of childhood. That was a place Blommers was able to portray with great feeling, through poignant yet robust impressions. He loved painting beach scenes like this, from his observations of children at play – here with toy boats. He saw such youngsters almost every day, he explained, “and yet it is always new, and I have to dwell upon it for a moment”.
Willem Bastiaan Tholen A Summer Landscape Between 1880 and 1885, Tholen sought inspiration in the quiet fenlands between Kampen and Giethoorn. He would go out regularly in his small boat, in search ofbeautiful scenes that he would then paint quickly and accurately. This farmland view has all the freshness of a sketch in oils, as if painted in situ rather than in the studio.
Hermanus Gunneweg Fishing Boats at Werkendam, 1904 Dordrecht painters also headed out into countryside to record their impressions. Gunneweg was particularly fond of the watery landscapes around the town, and preferred to be there in the early morning or late afternoon when the light was soft. He was interested in what was happening in the atmosphere, the play of light and clouds.
Theodoor A. C. Colenbrander Ceramic for the Rozenburg Royal Delftware Factory, The Hague On loan from RCE 1951 (Collection Van Bilderbeek) Colenbrander’s ceramics shimmered like marvels from The One Thousand and One Nights in the dark interiors of the nineteenth century. Including those of such admirers as Mesdag and Van Bilderbeek. Their fiery colours were revolutionary, early examples of an exciting new style, the “art nouveau”. Colenbrander was inspired by the art of the Middle and Far East, but also incorporated stylised elements drawn from nature into his designs.
MELANCHOLY AND YEARNING A ROMANTIC VIEW Nineteenth century [WEEMOED EN VERLANGEN]
The first half of the nineteenth century was the age of romanticism. The international art of the time is dominated by drama and grand gestures, the work of Ary Scheffer being a prime example. In the Netherlands, however, the romantics were more restrained: their paintings tend to show neither extreme weather or natural disasters, nor theatrical dramas. Instead, Dutch romantic art is characterised by idyllic landscapes, domestic scenes and nostalgia for the nation’s glorious past. The most famous of the Dutch romantic landscape painters is Barend Cornelis Koekkoek. He described his vision of his subject in an 1841 book, Herinneringen en mededeelingen van een Landschapschilder (Thoughts and Recollections of a Landscape Artist). Painters, in his opinion, must not be tempted by extreme situations such as “an angry storm” or “a terrible thunderstorm”. Rather, a landscape should express “the truth”. Not that this is a call to show things true to life. Far from it: the idea is to construct an idyllic, perfectly ordered world. Many artists in the nineteenth century were trying to hark back to the glory days of Dutch painting, the Dutch Golden Age. This interest in the past had to do with the situation the country found itself in at the dawn of the nineteenth century – which was far from glorious. The never-ending Napoleonic Wars had left the nation destitute, its international trade reduced to nothing and its colonies in the hands of the all-conquering British. In these parlous circumstances, pride in the rich past grew. And that was reflected in the art of the day. Key moments in national history were immortalised on canvas, and the artists of the seventeenth century were both lauded and imitated. A good example of this trend is Landscape with Cattle near Dordrecht, by local artist Gillis Smak Gregoor. His admiration for Aelbert Cuyp and, especially, Paulus Potter is palpable. Most of Lourens Alma Tadema’s inspiration also came from history, but not that of the Netherlands. His Venantius Fortunatus in the Dordrecht Museum’s collection looks back to the early Middle Ages. Tadema spent an important part of his working life in England. He was a real society painter who, like Scheffer, does not really belong to the school of Dutch romantics.
In genre scenes, the emphasis was on the ordinary and everyday. The prevailing notion at this time was that hard work and a frugal life would make everything come good again. To some extent, at least. The great value attached to the fundamentals of human existence is reflected in numerous depictions of intimate family scenes. The interiors by Hugo Bakker Korff, with his conventional ladies in oldfashioned clothes, are a good example. He brought the petty bourgeois mentality of his day into sharp focus, mixing mild humour with a heavy dose of satire. Paintings Andreas Achenbach The Beach at Scheveningen with a Thunderstorm Gathering, 1851 The lives of Scheveningen fisherfolk seen through German eyes: women waiting anxiously under ominous skies. Achenbach, an admirer of the Dutch marine painters, discovered this theme early. He first visited the Dutch coast in 1832, and from then on its fishing communities continued to fascinate him. Was that why the museum bought this painting? Or was it simply because Achenbach was so popular? Jozef Israëls Reverie A young woman lost in her thoughts on a riverbank. What can she be thinking about? Israëls painted Reverie shortly after a stay in Paris, which was in the grip of artistic romanticism at the time; Ary Scheffer, especially, was sweeping all before him. He was Israëls’ great inspiration, too. As we can clearly see in this work of high romanticism, the painter’s first great success.
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek Landscape in the Black Forest with Crayfish Catchers, 1841 A picturesque landscape featuring an imposing oak tree. Man plays an insignificant part in this powerful natural environment. The painting shows a classic romantic landscape; it is not a recognisable location, but rather a vision from a dream. Or, as Koekkoek put it, “a charming lie”. Koekkoek’s landscape composition feature the most beautiful aspects of nature, and are entrusted to the canvas “with judgement and taste”. Antonie Waldorp Windmill with View of Delft, 1836 Was everything really so much better in the olden days? This view of Delft, at any rate, is pure nostalgia. It is dominated by the Orange Tree (de Oranjeboom), a tower mill seen here shortly before its demolition in 1837. For centuries, such mills dominated the urban skyline; the sails of this one dwarf even the town’s Old Church (Oude Kerk). Everything here recalls the good old days, right down to the figures in seventeenth-century costume. Jan Weissenbruch The Courtyard of Culemborg Town Hall For once, no drama and no impending threats. Weissenbruch’s city views exude calm and are surprising in their simplicity. These are not scenes the artist has sought out deliberately, but attractive places that he seems to have discovered by chance. Nevertheless, even Weissenbruch was not above manipulating reality. The bright sunlight producing sharp contrasts is typical of his work.
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Alexander Wüst Landscape near Mount Desert by Moonlight Barren, unspoilt nature. That was the very best thing the United States had to offer an artist. Wüst, who was married to an American, found it in remote areas like Mount Desert Island in north-eastern Maine. This nocturnal landscape evokes a true feeling of desolation, rendered almost unreal by the mysterious moonlight.
Willem de Klerk View on the Rhine, 1843 Fairytale landscapes. With its hazy vistas, rolling hills and romantic ruins, the Rhine valley was incredibly popular with artists in the nineteenth century. It is hardly surprising, then, to find it depicted in very first work acquired for the Dordrecht Museum. And painted by “the Dordrecht Koekkoek”, as De Klerk was known. You can see why.
ARY SCHEFFER SOCIETY PAINTER IN PARIS Nineteenth century [ARY SCHEFFER]
Ary Scheffer, born in Dordrecht in 1795, was one of the most famous painters of his age. He enjoyed great success in Paris, where, together with French painters like Ingres, Delacroix, Vernet and Delaroche, he belonged to a generation of young romanticists who rejected the principles of traditional classicism. Since his work has none of the restraint so typical of Dutch romanticism, Scheffer is usually numbered in the French School. Scheffer left for the French capital at an early age. There he became the leading portraitist of high society, whilst appealing to a broader audience with historical pieces and sentimental religious paintings. He was celebrated in Parisian artistic circles, too. Liszt and Chopin gave concerts at his studios on Rue Chaptal, Dickens read from his own work there and painters like Théodore Rousseau and Delacroix exhibited works that they were unable to show elsewhere. Two paintings by Scheffer’s nephew and pupil, Arie Johannes Lamme, provide us with good views of the large and small studio in the garden of his impressive home. Scheffer took many young artists under his wing; the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, who would go on to design the Statue of Liberty in New York, was one of his pupils. Scheffer himself was appointed court painter to Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans and later King of France, and taught his children. Princess Marie of Orleans, who died young, was his favourite student. Scheffer was a politically engaged artist, whose work frequently expressed general ideals of liberty and a craving for heroism. He felt particularly drawn by the Greek and Polish struggles for independence. An excellent horseman, he devoted himself actively to liberty, equality and fraternity. As a contemporary once put it so aptly, he was “a painter of the soul, who pledges himself to victims, the poor and the unhappy”. In 1862, four years after his death, a statue of Ary Scheffer was erected in Dordrecht – the first to commemorate a contemporary artist. But fame is transient. Scheffer had had to endure scathing criticism even during his own lifetime, and in death he would eventually be forgotten. His fall from grace epitomes the fickleness
of appreciation and changing tastes. In 1846 the poet Baudelaire dismissed his work with a reference to the “monkeys of sentiment” (“les singes du sentiment”). To modern eyes, it is almost impossible to imagine how deeply touched audiences once were by Scheffer’s often sickly-sweet religious imagery. But whatever we think of it now, Scheffer’s work beautifully illustrates the spirit of his age. And with its rich collection of paintings, drawings, etchings and sculptures, the Dordrecht museum is able to show it in its full breadth. Paintings Ary Scheffer Self-Portrait at the Age of 31, 1826 A daring self-portrait of the young painter, who depicts himself as if talking and at the same glancing in the mirror. A work more fluent and masterful than most of Scheffer’s oeuvre. He scratched his signature and the date into paint while it was still wet. Greatly cherished by his family, this painting was left to museum by the artist’s daughter, Cornelia. Ary Scheffer Heavenly and Earthly Love, 1850 True Love? The Greek philosopher Plato distinguished between two kinds of love: a heavenly, spiritual form and an earthly, sensual one. With the first better than the second. Scheffer depicts this literally, with a Heavenly Love robed in divine white and blue looking down on her rival and pointing to the heavens. Modelled after the Venus de Milo, Earthly Love is naked and sensual. As her rosy complexion, red robe and leopardskin emphasise. This was the first Scheffer to be exhibited in Dordrecht, in 1854, where it proved rather too much for some local sensibilities. One lady rushed away screaming.
Ary Johannes Lamme Ary Scheffer at Work in the Large Studio at His Home, 16 Rue Chaptal in Paris, 1851 Scheffer had two studios at his home, both of which were immortalised by his nephew, Ary Lamme. This is the larger of the two, with Heavenly and Earthly Love in the centre and the portrait of daughter Cornelia on the left. Scheffer had a wide circle of artistic friends: Liszt and Chopin gave concerts in this studio, Dickens read from his books here and painters like Rousseau and Delacroix exhibited their own works. Ary Scheffer Portrait van Frédéric Chopin Scheffer and Chopin moved in the same artistic circles. In 1847, two years before his death, the famous composer and pianist sat for a portrait by his friend. This shows him not as a virtuoso musician, but as an aristocrat and intellectual. It is a restrained and sensitive portrayal, several versions of which exist. Scheffer kept this small copy for himself. Ary Scheffer The Women of Souli, 1823 Like many of his contemporaries, Scheffer supported the Greek struggle for independence. Indeed, it affected him deeply. This brilliant sketch, a preliminary study for a painting, shows a famous incident from an earlier phase of the conflict. In an act of desperation to avoid falling into Turkish hands, in 1803 the women of Souli jumped to their deaths from a rock, singing and dancing as they did so.
Ary Scheffer Preliminary sketch of “Francesca and Paolo” The tragic love between Francesca and Paolo in Dante’s Divine Comedy appealed hugely to the imagination. Scheffer’s especially: it is a recurring theme in his work. This is his first sketch in oils of the doomed lovers in an infernal underworld. Drama of the highest order. Ary Scheffer Portrait of Madame Victor Place, 1852 A magnificent society portrait. Every detail emphasises the high social status of the subject, the elegant wife of a diplomat. An impression further reinforced by the gilded frame. This was a commissioned work, but was returned unexpectedly to Scheffer. He explains why in a letter: M. Place had “suddenly lost all his fortune”. Ary Scheffer Portrait of Marie, Princess of Orleans, 1837 Princess, or talented sculptress? Scheffer portrayed his favourite pupil in her studio, chisel in hand, deliberating where to strike. Aristocratic? Certainly, but “not at all a Princess”, as Scheffer wrote after her early death in 1839. Marie left him a number of her sculptures, which took pride of place in his studio. He painted this portrait for her mother, the Queen.
Ary Scheffer Mignon Yearning for her Homeland For this painting, Scheffer was inspired by a character from a Goethe novel: the mysterious Mignon, who longs so deeply for her homeland, Italy. Although beautiful, she is a melancholy figure, a feeling reinforced here by the empty landscape with just a flight of birds. Scheffer later told Queen Maria Amalia that Mignon was a portrait of his daughter.
THE BUSINESS OF ART ABRAHAM EN JACOB VAN STRIJ Eighteenth century
[SCHILDERSWINKEL]
The brothers Abraham and Jacob Van Strij set the tone in late eighteenth-century Dordrecht with their flourishing art business. As the sons of a well-known decorative painter, they were trained to take over his shop. Abraham was taught by the local decorative artist Joris Ponse. Both brothers attended the Academy of Drawing (Tekenacademie) in Antwerp. Drawing would continue to play an important role. Back in Dordrecht, Abraham van Strij himself was one of the founders of the Pictura Drawing Society (Teekengenootschap Pictura), which still meets to this day. Each brother had his own speciality: Abraham painted portraits, and later also genre scenes. Jacob concentrated on landscapes. And both did their share of the family trade, which ranged from decorating carriages to the design of “garden ornaments” (pavilions). By far the greatest part of their joint efforts, however, went into painted wall hangings. These remained very popular throughout the eighteenth century. Two preserved series of hangings by the Van Strij brothers are on display at the Dordrecht Museum. The brothers could deliver a complete design, with paintings all round and panelling included. Abraham’s so-called “studio legacy”, containing design drawings, gives a good impression of the motifs and ornaments clients could choose from. In the nineteenth century such hangings went out of fashion. Of those produced by Abraham and Jacob only two now remain in Dordrecht at their original locations. Many others left the country. The paintings were often trimmed to fit new spaces, or cut down to smaller sizes. As a result, almost no complete sets of painted wall hangings have survived. The two full Van Strij series at the Dordrecht Museum are therefore true rarities. When the demand for hangings of landscapes started to wane around 1800, the brothers adapted their production to suit demand. Abraham continued to produce portraits and interiors, as well as designing wooden ornamentation, but Jacob now painted his rural scenes on panel. The influence of well-known artists from the Dutch Golden Age is clearly visible in the works of both brothers. Jacob
often bathes his landscapes in the golden light so characteristic of Aelbert Cuyp. And in Abraham’s canvases we can detect the influence of painters of interiors like Gabriël Metsu and Pieter de Hooch. The Van Strijs sought not just to equal their forerunners, though, but surpass them in terms of brightness and sunlight. They succeeded by painting over a white base coat, rather than a dark one as was customary in the seventeenth century. This gives their paintings a totally new radiance. Paintings Jacob van Strij Landscape with Cattle near Dordrecht A Cuyp or a Van Strij? Jacob was so good at imitating his famous predecessor that many observers could not tell the difference. That despite having very few original pieces to work from by 1800. Much of this landscape is based upon a print. Jacob van Strij Winter View of the Devel A typical old Dutch winter scene, with the Dordrecht’s Great Church (Grote Kerk) on the horizon. A peasant couple are chatting on the frozen river, quite a common motif in such views. The landscape appears to be based upon Jacob’s own observations. Although he suffered greatly from gout, even in the iciest weather he would wrap up warm and go out on a sledge to make sketches.
Abraham van Strij Interior with Soldier and Maidservant, 1825 The people of the seventeenth century relished a good story, especially if it was both entertaining and morally instructive. Abraham’s Dordrecht tavern scene seems to fit the bill. Is this simply drunken revelry, or is it telling us more? What does the mischievous hussar want from the servant girl? More drink? Or does he have other plans, as the suggestive angle of his sabre might appear to imply? Abraham van Strij The Drawing Lesson Education is the subject of this painting, but with a little added humour. As the dutiful pupil undertakes his drawing assignment, the teacher is distracted by his little brother playing. A witty scene, again based upon a seventeenth-century example. But the precise, bright style is very much of its own time.
Pieter Christoffel Wonder, Portrait of Jacob van Strij, 1812 Pieter Christoffel Wonder,Portrait of Abraham van Strij, 1812 The Van Strijs in old age, portrayed by a young colleague from Utrecht. Soberly and, with pencil in hand, apparently at work. Gout-stricken Jacob even has his finger bandaged. Wonder’s almost ruthless realism is very modern for its time. His daring approach is undoubtedly intended as a declaration of respect to the brothers.
AERT SCHOUMAN THE TASTE OF HIS TIMES Eighteenth century [AERT SCHOUMAN]
Even after the Dutch Golden Age had ended, Dordrecht continued to produce artists who made a name for themselves well beyond the city walls. During the first half of the eighteenth century, by far the most important was Aert Schouman. He painted commissioned portraits, historical scenes and genre pieces. He was well-known for his watercolours of plants and animals, too, and was frequently asked to produce decorative works of all kinds, ranging from large wall hangings featuring birds to painted fans, carriages and even engraved glasses. This versatility was typical of the eighteenth century, when painting acquired a more ornamental function in response to changing public tastes. The wealthy had started fitting out their homes in a different way, with interiors now designed as a coherent whole. Every element – woodwork, paintings, ceilings – had to be co-ordinated perfectly. French classicism was the style to follow. Decorative hangings covering an entire wall superseded the small framed paintings which had been so desirable in the seventeenth century. There was still a demand for these paintings, but now they were displayed as a collection in a single room: the picture gallery. This was part of the culture of collecting of that time. Cabinets of natural curiosities were also popular, for example. So were menageries, which is where Schouman studied the birds he depicted in his watercolours. Aert Schouman started his career in Dordrecht, where he was a pupil of Adriaan van der Burg, a master of anecdotal genre painting and also a skilled portraitist. From 1736 onwards, Schouman divided his time between Dordrecht and The Hague. This was undoubtedly due to the many commissions to be had at the court-capital. He probably worked in Rotterdam for a while, as well, and was certainly active in Middelburg. The avian wall hangings now in the Dordrecht Museum were originally painted for a country house in Oostkapelle, Zeeland. As well as producing art, Schouman was also a dealer. In that capacity he was acquainted with many art lovers. One was Cornelis van Lill, a yarn merchant, who regularly commissioned works from him. One of Schouman’s portraits depicts Van Lill as an art lover
viewing a painting on an easel, with the artist himself looking over his shoulder. During his long life, Schouman taught many children to draw – that was all part of a good education – and like his own tutor, Van der Burg, he trained many young painters. In doing so, he laid the foundations for a whole new generation of Dordrecht artists. One of those pupils was Joris Ponse, who in his turn would teach Abraham van Strij, one of the best-known painters of the late eighteenth century. Paintings Aert Schouman A Peacock and Ducks Being Chased by a Dog in a Park Inspired by earlier artists’ avian works, in the early 1750s Schouman introduced a new kind of wall hanging featuring native and exotic birds in parkland settings. A treat for the eye, only Schouman could make such scenes appear so natural. He studied his subjects in the wild, in aviaries, and mounted in collectors’ bird cabinets. These hangings, part of a series of five, were produced for Huis te Oostkapelle, a country house on the then island of Walcheren. They were later moved to Middelburg, where three of the five canvases were destroyed in an air raid in 1940. Aert Schouman Self-Portrait, 1750 A confident Schouman looks straight at his audience. At forty years old, he is a successful painter of popular avian watercolours. But there is more to him than that, for in this work he is playing a refined game with illusions. How deep is the painting really? Is it not actually two portraits? And what about that palette? Is the artist holding it or not?
Aert Schouman Juno Asks Argus to Watch Over Io, 1738 Elegant depictions of stories featuring the classical gods were a staple of the eighteenth-century interior. In this florid work, intended to be placed above a door, the principal characters are adulterous Jupiter and his wife Juno. Almost caught by her in flagrante, the god quickly transforms his lover, Io, into a cow. Juno, who is clever as well as jealous, asks for the animal as a present and places it in the care of Argus, her trusted servant with a hundred eyes. Aert Schouman Portrait of Cornelis van Lill, His Grandson and the Painter, 1735 “This composition painted for Mr Cornelis van Lil, merchant in yarns at Dordrecht,” wrote Schouman under a preliminary study for this work. It shows a proud moment in the young painter’s life: a visit to his studio by the well-known collector Van Lill (1666-1743), here emphatically portrayed as a patron of youthful talent.
DORDRECHT MASTERS FROM THE SCHOOL OF REMBRANDT Seventeenth century [DORDTSE MEESTERS]
We cannot be sure that Rembrandt ever visited Dordrecht, but there is every likelihood that he did. He certainly painted a number of local people, amongst them the wealthy merchant Jacob Trip and his wife Margaretha de Geer. And he was a friend of the Dordrecht-born poet Jeremias de Decker. In all probability, paintings by Rembrandt could be found in collections here even in the seventeenth century. Most striking of all, though, is the large number of Rembrandt’s pupils who hailed from Dordrecht. No city apart from Amsterdam produced as many pupils and followers, including important artists like Ferdinand Bol, Samuel van Hoogstraten, Nicolaes Maes and Arent de Gelder, all of whom travelled to Amsterdam to learn their craft from the master. Others, such as Benjamin Cuyp, stayed put but were heavily influenced by Rembrandt’s etchings. Nowhere else, too, would his manner of painting remain as popular for as long as it did in Dordrecht. De Gelder, his last pupil, would stay true to the master’s style well into the eighteenth century. By then, Rembrandt’s brown palette, his broad strokes, his heavy use of contrast and, above all, his merciless realism were very oldfashioned indeed. In fact, Rembrandt’s approach fell out favour soon after his death in 1669. In its place came a refined, classicistic and courtly style, in line with the international mode, characterised by bright colours and idealised figures. Painting now was about “choosing the finest of the fine”, as the new fashion was described by Dordrecht painter and artistic biographer Arnold Houbraken. According to him, Nicolaes Maes had “learned the art of painting with Rembrandt, but soon left that style – all the more so when he began painting portraits and saw that the young ladies, most especially, preferred the white to the brown.” Houbraken’s own elegant and classical paintings, like the later works of Bol and Maes and their ilk, are far removed from those of Rembrandt. The Dordrecht Museum’s collection includes good examples of both fidelity to Rembrandt and rejection of him. Ferdinand Bol’s SelfPortrait and Samuel van Hoogstraten’s Adoration both contain clear references to the master’s work. But the majority of pieces by his Dordrecht pupils have little in them to remind us of Rembrandt.
They are painted using fine, thin brushwork, with no clearly visible strokes, and are in bright colours. Tastes change. But there is always that one exception: Arent de Gelder. Houbraken describes how “no other came so close in emulating [the master] in his style of painting.”
Paintings Ferdinand Bol Self-Portrait at the Age of Thirty, 1646 Bol had already had his own studio in Amsterdam for five years when he painted this self-portrait. Self-confident, artistically dressed and glowing with colour – entirely in the spirit of Rembrandt, under whom Bol learned the finer points of the painter’s craft between 1636 and 1641. Rembrandt himself produced some eighty self-portraits, a number of which must have been painted in Bol’s presence. It is hardly surprising, then, that this work is based upon Rembrandt’s 1640 self-portrait. Samuel van Hoogstraten The Adoration of the Child, 1647 Just how strong Rembrandt’s influence was can be seen in this early work by Van Hoogstraten. Both theme and execution are very much in his style. Under Joseph’s watchful eye, Mary shows the shepherds her child, radiating divine light. Other sources of light add to the intimate atmosphere of the scene: a small fire, a lantern and angels.
Nicolaes Maes Portrait of Four Children as Mythological Figures, 1674 aes moved to Amsterdam in 1673, by which time he was already much in demand as a portrait painter. His style suited the élite taste of the time: elegant, ornamental and exuberant. The children in this portrait are depicted as mythological figures. The little boy riding the eagle represents Ganymede, symbol of a soul ascending to Heaven. By showing him thus, Maes is indicating that the child has died. Jacobus Leveck Portrait of Mattheus Elliasz. van den Broucke, 1665 On loan from the RCE 1948 Is there anything in this portrait which recalls Leveck’s time as a pupil of Rembrandt, some ten years earlier? In 1665, when he painted 13-yearold Mattheus, elegance and refinement were the norm. The young man’s fashionable attire, adorned with ribbons, and the fountain of Neptune in the background make the right impression. But most intriguing of all is his relaxed, dreamy-eyed expression. Ferdinand Bol Portrait of Wigbold Slicher and Elisabeth Spiegel as Paris and Venus, 1656 On loan from the RCE 1953 The Judgement of Paris, when the Prince of Troy was asked to choose the fairest of the goddesses, was a popular tale from classical mythology. He selected Aphrodite (Venus in the Roman pantheon) and gave her the prize, a golden apple. Bol’s interpretation is a little daring, perhaps, but it did allow the eminent Amsterdammer Wigbold Slicher to show that his wife was the fairest of all.
Nicolaes Maes Portrait of Margaretha de Geer The wealthy Dordrecht merchant Jacob Trip and his wife Margaretha de Geer (1583-1672) had their portraits painted on numerous occasions. They sat for Maes at least three times, and also for Jacob Cuyp and Rembrandt. This is the last depiction of Margaretha, showing her as a stately widow of 86 in an armchair: frail, austere and above all respectable. In this august style of portraiture, Maes was inspired by Flemish masters. Benjamin Cuyp The Liberation of St Peter St Peter’s miraculous liberation from prison was a popular theme in Rembrandt’s circle, and with followers like Benjamin Cuyp. He depicted this particular biblical story no fewer than fifteen times. Exactly as told in the scriptures, but with more drama. Benjamin was taught to paint by his older half-brother Jacob, but Rembrandt seems to have been his great inspiration. Arent de Gelder Portrait of the Sculptor Hendrik Noteman, 1698 De Gelder portrayed the Dordrecht sculptor Noteman in what was a rather old-fashioned style by 1698. But the result is amazing, and clearly reminiscent of Rembrandt. The portrait perfectly suits its ornamental oval frame, which Noteman undoubtedly carved himself for that express purpose.
CUYP & CO. A FAMILY OF PAINTERS Seventeenth century [DE FIRMA CUYP]
The Cuyp family played a central role in the artistic life of Dordrecht in the Golden Age. Three of its members adopted painting as a career, although each chose a different specialisation. Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp was the city’s first important painter, and taught many of his contemporaries. As a portraitist he immortalised local worthies and their children. His much younger half-brother, Benjamin, specialised in biblical scenes, whilst son Aelbert opted for landscapes and would become the most famous of the three. Aelbert Cuyp is known for the use of light in his rural scenes and city views. He was also an excellent painter of animals. Writing in 1718, his first biographer, fellow Dordrecht painter Arnold Houbraken, lauded his versatility and his ability to depict different times of day, “so that in his scenes one can distinguish between the misty dawn and the clear afternoon, and between both of them and the saffrontinted evening.” In his own lifetime, Aelbert Cuyp enjoyed only local renown. The wealthy men of Dordrecht loved his sun-drenched landscapes, which glorified the outdoor life and especially the hunt. Having been a preserve of the nobility for centuries, hunting was synonymous with social status. In the eighteenth century Cuyp’s work gained popularity outside Dordrecht. Particularly in England: British aristocrats obsessed with hunting and horses started to buy his landscapes for record prices. By 1800, there was not a single important work by Cuyp left in the Netherlands. Despite this, thanks to a focused collecting policy the Dordrecht Museum is now able to present a good cross-section of Aelbert Cuyp’s work, alongside works by his father Jacob and his uncle Benjamin. Father and son worked closely together for some years, with Aelbert drawing landscapes and city views that Jacob could use as backgrounds for his portraits. In fact, Aelbert sometimes painted those backgrounds himself. Aelbert was a gifted portraitist in his own right, and after Jacob’s death, he carried on the family portraiture business for a while.
Benjamin, who had studied under Jacob alongside Aelbert, was the only one of three who did not stay in Dordrecht. He also worked in Utrecht and The Hague, where he enjoyed as much success with his biblical scenes – clearly influenced by Rembrandt – as he had done in his native city. Nowhere else can you see such a comprehensive overview of the three Cuyps as in Dordrecht. And no other place forms a better backdrop: the places where they lived and worked and many of the stately houses in which their works originally hung are all within walking distance. Indeed, the museum itself stands on the site of the Poor House and Plague House of the Great Church (Heilig Geest- en Pesthuis ter Groter Kerk), a charitable institution of which Aelbert Cuyp himself was a trustee. Paintings Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp Portrait of Michiel Pompe van Slingelandt, 1649 On loan from RCE 1954 A rosy-cheeked six-year-old apparently out enjoying a hunt with his falcon. Dressed in “classical” attire, young Michiel is pointing proudly at his dog. Hunting was a sign of social status, as it was reserved for the nobility and aristocracy. Jacob Cuyp’s portrait is unusually lively and innovative. The landscape in the background is based upon a drawing by Aelbert. Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp The Fish Market, 1627 Is this a realistic portrayal of a fish market? Or do the expressions and gestures suggest something else? In Cuyp’s time, after all, the trade in fish had certain sexual connotations. But for the painter this scene was primarily a means of showing off his multiple talents. Complete with a joke: the man in the background on the right is Jacob himself.
Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp Bed of Tulips, 1638 Tulips, but in the ground rather than a vase. That makes this a very unusual still life for the time. Tulips were still an exotic novelty, for which collectors had been prepared to pay astronomical sums. But the collapse of the market in 1637 had made them the perfect symbol of mortality – expensive yet fragile – by the time Cuyp painted this view the following year.
Aelbert Cuyp Dutch River View The earliest Aelbert Cuyp in the museum’s collection, a sweeping view of a river in mostly grey and ochre tints. In this respect the style is very much like that of Jan van Goyen, and the fact that Aelbert was studying his landscapes at this stage in his career is also apparent from the low horizon: the sky fills three quarters of the panel.
Aelbert Cuyp Portrait of the Duck Sijctghen, 1647-1650 Sijctghen (Sijtje) the duck had laid a hundred eggs a year for twenty years, and that “without pairing”. That was an impressive record which earned the dutiful bird the honour of this rare portrait. Cuyp’s life-size rendering really appeals to the imagination, especially since he includes a poem in the proud duck’s own words.
Aelbert Cuyp Maidservant in a Cowshed That Aelbert was as versatile as his father is clear from this depiction of peasant life in all its glory. We can almost smell the countryside in this colourful scene packed with everyday objects and produce, plus the artist’s beloved cows bathed in golden sunlight. It would certainly have appealed to the Cuyps’ clients: thanks to land reclamation, cattle farming was a growing business around Dordrecht and many wealthy local families had invested in it. Aelbert Cuyp Horsemen Resting in a Landscape It is late afternoon and the setting sun is casting a golden glow over the countryside. Two riders accompanied by their hunting dogs are enjoying a break in their journey. Noblemen far from home, perhaps? Although the landscape looks southern European, it is in fact Dutch. With hills like those Cuyp had seen near Cleves. Cast in a “saffron-tinted evening”, they made the ideal setting for a portrait of aristocratic horsemen. It was a successful formula that appealed to Cuyp’s upper-class Dordrecht clients, and a century later to the British nobility. Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp The Adoration of the Kings Benjamin Cuyp liked to paint biblical stories as scenes from everyday life. Just like his greatest influence, Rembrandt. In fact, Benjamin also tried to imitate the master in his style of painting, dramatic lighting and expressive gestures. Did he succeed? Or is his Adoration, as some claim, more rustic in nature?
STILL LIFES “SEMBLAMCE WITHOUT SUBSTANCE” Seventeenth century [STILLEVENS]
The painter of a still life looks at the world in detail. He often concentrates upon just a couple of objects, arranged to create the most balanced of compositions. In many of the works in this genre from the Dutch Golden Age, illusion plays an important role in the reproduction of nature. The images can sometimes seem deceptively real – even though they are only two-dimensional depictions in paint. “Semblance without substance” this was sometimes called. The seventeenth century saw a flourishing of the genre of the still life, in Dordrecht as much as anywhere else. For painters, it was the ideal genre in which to show off their mastery in the convincing representation of materials of all kinds. Painters like Abraham Susenier and Bartholomeus Assteyn specialised in depicting shells, flowers, set tables and other objects. And such work was much loved by the public. Many a Dordrecht home had a banquet, a flower arrangement or a symbolic “vanitas” adorning its walls. Their appeal lay primarily in the exquisitely accurate reproduction of materials: fruit, dead birds or fish, glass, silver... All painted to look like you could grasp them straight out of the picture. One distinctive category of still life was the trompe l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye”), also known to the Dutch as a “little deceiver” (bedriegertje). Samuel van Hoogstraten was a pioneer of this technique, with which he drew acclaim in the highest circles. Popular though still lifes were with prosperous buyers, the art scholars of the time were unimpressed by them. In their view, the precise reproduction of items on a table required little imagination. Historical painting, i.e. depictions of scenes from the Bible or from classical mythology, was held in far higher esteem because it made much greater demands of the artist. In his 1678 Inleyding tot de Hooge Schoole der schilderkonst (Introduction to the Academy of Painting), Van Hoogstraten – yes, he of the much-loved “little tricks” – complained that the most renowned art collections contained still lifes, even though such paintings – “despite their attractions” – could not be considered significant works of art. Nonetheless, paintings in this genre could be much more than mere clever mimicry. Some certainly had a message to convey. Floral
numerous variations: from apples to shoes and fish. Cornelis Bisschop, meanwhile, specialised in life-size figures. arrangements often depicted flowers that bloomed at different times of year. Since flowers in a vase quickly wilt, there was an obvious parallel with the transitory nature of earthly existence. This same symbolism, “vanitas” (“all is vanity”), was also inherent in the many still lifes featuring valuable objects or such devices as skulls and extinguished candles. The same attention to accuracy and detail can be found in the work of modern painters like Pyke Koch. But through the use of pronounced lighting or an unsettling setting, the effect created by his work is very different. “Possible, but not probable,” is how Koch once described his magical realist scenes. Paintings Cornelis Bisschop Self-Portrait, 1663 or 1665 Mimicking life so that was “just like real”. That was what the still life specialists did, but Bisschop also tried it. Here he portrays himself as a second Parrhasius, the legendary painter of antiquity who won a contest by painting a curtain so lifelike that his opponent tried to pull it back. If you can deceive even your own colleagues, then the prize is yours. Bartholomeus Assteyn Still Life with Flowers, Shells and a Frog, 1631 On loan from the RCE 1953 The oldest floral still life at the museum. A colourful bouquet, with every single bloom painstakingly detailed. But did Assteyn paint from life? Did he really have all these flowers in a vase at home? Or is this mere pretence? Look arefully and you will see that the blooms come from different seasons. The bouquet seems to have been assembled to meet the client’s wishes.
Abraham Susenier Still Life with Shells, 1659 Is this the “painting with conelets by Susenier”, owned by the Dordrecht collector Willem van Beverwijck in 1662? Still lifes featuring just shells are rare. Susenier here depicts more than fifty “fruits of the sea” in various shades of beige and pink, arranged on a purple tablecloth. A curtain has been drawn back to give the viewer a glimpse of what must have been a valuable hoard: shells, corals, sea urchins and, in pride of place, the gleaming mother-of-pearl of a giant sea snail. Exotic shells were popular with collectors, but expensive. They were shipped in from all over the world by the Dutch East India and West India companies. Samuel van Hoogstraten Trompe l’oeil, 1664 A rack holding various objects, less than 5 centimetres in depth and barely distinguishable from the real thing. In 1651 the Holy Roman Emperor had so enjoyed being fooled by one of Van Hoogstraten’s trompe l’oeils that gave the artist a medal of honour in acknowledgement of his feat. That can be seen hanging from this rack along with some of his other possessions. He also states where and when the work was painted: in London, on 20 January 1664. Hendrick van Heemskerck Trompe l'oeil with Books, 1682 Are those books on that shelf? So it would seem. But look harder and you realise that this is a “little trick”. Books complete with ribbon page markers painted onto a section of board. Now rare, such works were once very popular. Especially in Dordrecht, where Samuel van Hoogstraten supplied them in numerous variations: from apples to shoes and fish. Cornelis Bisschop, meanwhile, specialised in life-size figures.
Hubert van Ravesteyn Still Life with Vegetables and Fruit Apples in baskets, cabbages, a cooking pot, a knife and a cloth. Apparently an everyday kitchen scene. But this is not simply the day’s harvest, it is a carefully assembled tableau of ingredients selected by colour: brown, yellow, green, a touch of red and purple and a streak of brilliant blue.
Adriaen Coorte Asparagus, Gooseberries and Strawberries on a Stone Bench, 1698 Juicy gooseberries, gleaming fresh asparagus, ripe strawberries. Fragile, firm, soft: the differences in texture are captured perfectly. Coorte’s extremely refined technique was forgotten for many years, until his work was rediscovered in Dordrecht. Now he is one of the best-loved painters of still lifes from the Golden Age. An artist with a style all his own: simplicity frozen on a small canvas.
PORTRAIT OF DORDRECHT ART FOR THE CITY [PORTRET VAN DORDRECHT]
“Dordrecht is the first and principal city of Holland; therefore some call her a Mother and Queen of all the cities in this glorious landscape.” Thus the cartographer Joan Blaeu lauded Holland’s oldest city in 1649. The Dordrecht of the time was a prosperous trading centre, owing its wealth to its extremely favourable situation at the confluence of the Meuse and the Merwede, the two principal arms of the Rhine Delta. The city’s port had been busy since the fourteenth century, wine being the most important of all the commodities shipped downstream from Germany, followed by timber, iron ore and coal. Other goods came into its markets by sea: wool and cloth from Flanders and England, salt and grain from France. As a city, Dordrecht enjoyed many privileges, the most important of them being its so-called “staple right”. This required that a wide variety of merchandise passing up or down the river be unloaded there and offered for sale in the local market. Thanks to its rights and strategic location, the Dordrecht of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was one of Europe’s largest and richest cities. Until 1600, it surpassed even Amsterdam and Rotterdam in wealth and population. The many historic monuments from this period still found in the city bear witness to that opulent past. Hand in hand with its economic growth, Dordrecht became an important centre of art and culture. In the seventeenth century in particular, it was a magnet for artists. After all, the many rich merchants there had plenty of money to fill their homes with works of art. And there were all kinds of civic institutions that distributed official jobs as well. In 1629, for example, Adam Willaerts of Utrecht was commissioned to paint a view of the city to hang in the Council Chamber at Dordrecht Town Hall. After him, many other artists produced their own versions of the city’s distinctive profile. One of these was Jan van Goyen. In 2008 the museum was able to purchase one of his finest depictions of the city after a successful fundraising campaign under the slogan “Give Dordrecht back its view”. As well as the place, painters also portrayed its people – well-to-do merchants and regents such as Jacob de Witt and his sons.
By the time Joan Blaeu published his ode to Dordrecht in the midseventeenth century, the city had already passed its commercial peak. But Dordrecht remained a magnet for painters. They flocked here from all over the Netherlands and beyond to see the city of Aelbert Cuyp with their own eyes: the water, the cloudy skies and the famous light. Paintings Willem Adriaensz. Key The Last Supper, c. 1560 Of all the magnificent altarpieces once found in Dordrecht’s churches, this work from Antwerp is the only surviving example. It hung originally in the Chapel of St John the Evangelist in the Grote Kerk (Great Church). But not for long, because in 1572, after the Reformation, it was moved to the Old Town Hall (Oude Raadhuis). Antwerp painting was much admired in Dordrecht, and Key was one of its best exponents.
Christiaen van Couwenberg Samson and Delilah “Be vigilant!” That was doubtless the moralistic thinking behind this work, ordered for Dordrecht Town Hall. Everyone knew the Bible story of Samson, granted superhuman strength by God, and seductive Delilah, who lulls him into sleep and then cuts off his hair in the knowledge that that will deprive him of his power. But why was a Delft painter commissioned to produce this work?
Jan van Goyen View of Dordrecht, 1651 This is one of the finest seventeenthcentury views of Dordrecht, showing it as a typical Dutch city with a grand church, windmills, plenty of boats, a distant horizon, impressive clouds and a lot of water. The work is subtly lit, with touches of silver and reflections. Van Goyen made a series of sketches in and around Dordrecht in 1648, which formed the basis for dozens of painted views of the city. Each is different, but the Grote Kerk (Great Church) is a prominent feature in all of them. Jacobus Leveck Portraits of Adriaen Braets and Maria Braets-van der Graeff, 1664 Matching portraits of the Braets, a Dordrecht couple. Each is depicted in front of a curtain, behind which we see an imposing country house. This is pure fantasy, as the family did not own such a property. But distinguished members of society loved being portrayed in such an “aristocratic� setting. And the Braets certainly were distinguished: he was a Captain of Militia, a Master of the Mint and holder of various important civic positions. Attributed to Pouwels Weyts the Younger The opening of the National Synod at Dordrecht on 13 November 1618, 1620 Between 13 November 1618 and 29 May 1619, the Kloveniersdoelen Hall in Dordrecht witnessed one of the most important gatherings in the early history of Dutch Protestantism. Theologians and politicians from all over Europe came to air their views on the controversy dividing the liberal and orthodox wings of the church. Dordrecht was so proud to have been chosen as the venue that the city fathers had its opening recorded for posterity.
Nicolaes Verkolje Family portrait of Johan Diederik Pompe van Meerdervoort with his wife Johanna Alida and their eldest daughter Maria Christina, 1724 Huis te Meerdervoort was one of grandest country retreats outside Dordrecht, so it is hardly surprising that the proud owner had himself portrayed there. That befitted his social standing, as did his hunting musket. Alongside Johan Diederik are his wife and their eldest daughter. Side by side on the large vase are the couple’s family coats of arms. These are identical, because they were first cousins!
Jozef Mezzara and Cornelia Marjolin-Scheffer Statue of Ary Scheffer (model), 1861 Ary Scheffer died in Paris in 1858. Shortly afterwards, Herman de Kat took the initiative to honour the Dordrecht-born artist with a bronze statue in his home city. This was designed by Scheffer’s daughter and unveiled in 1862. It was financed by public subscription, with the numerous contributors including the Orléans family and several well-known French painters. Anthonie Pieter Schotel Bomkade, Dordrecht, 1920 Bomkade with the old Corn Exchange (Korenbeurs), boats on the river and the vague outline of Zwijndrecht in the distance on the right. Schotel has produced a true-to-life impression of Dordrecht under heavy skies – we can almost feel the damp. Water, light and ships were his favourite themes, subjects he saw literally passing by his studio on
Anonymus The Dordrecht Quadruplets, 1621 On loan from the North Brabant Museum, ’s-Hertogenbosch The birth of quadruplets to the wife of sailmaker Jacobus Costerus in 1621 attracted widespread interest. It was a miracle that was still being written about in 1677. The babies were painted shortly after they came into the world, complete with a Biblical text, their names and the exact time of each birth. The three survivors are tightly swaddled and wearing elaborate bonnets; the one who died is wearing a shroud and a wreath of rosemary to ward off evil. Anonymus Goblet with lid, 1582 Dordrecht, Huis Van Gijn Anonymus Sculpted and gilded picture frame for the vintners of Dordrecht, c. 1675 Gilded oak, 199 x 159 x 25 cm Dordrecht was the wine capital of Holland. For centuries, it was from this trade that the city derived its greatest revenue. A source of wealth here celebrated exuberantly on a goblet and in the carvings on a gilded wooden picture frame. Everything centres on the production and consumption of wine. At the bottom of the frame are the arms of Dordrecht, at the top are two merry wine gods flanking the city’s Vintners’ Chapel (Wijnkoperskapel).
COLOUR, FORM, MATERIAL ART IN TRANSITION Twentieth century [NIEUWE GEZICHTSPUNTEN]
Since its foundation in 1842, the Dordrecht Museum has collected the works of “living masters”. It is little wonder, then, that we now hold an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art. These works have now been given their own permanent exhibition space in the refurbished museum. Here and there, we have also hung a “young” painting amidst works from the seventeenth or nineteenth century. Highlighting relationships between old and new, we hope that this will encourage the visitor to look at the art with a fresh eye. In general terms, our modern collection traces the evolution of Dutch painting since 1900. At the same time, however, generations of directors, curators and donors with their own personal visions and preferences and have left their mark on it. The result is an assemblage of modern and contemporary works with some clear accents. Inspired by international movements like Cubism and Expressionism, from about 1900 Dutch artists also began to look at reality in new ways. Distancing themselves from traditional realism, they started to experiment. No longer was the subject everything; now colour, form and paint were also important. Examples of this trend in our collection are Jan Sluijters’ expressive portrait of his wife, Greet, and the flat, almost abstract Dead Crow by Floris Verster. One notable early experiment is Jan Toorop’s Landscape with River, painted in 1889. He was the first Dutch artist to take up the French pointillist style and introduce it in this country. The fact that this revolutionary work came to Dordrecht as early as 1890 is down to the collector Hidde Nijland, who bought the piece directly from the artist. After this innovative early modern period, artistic experimentation seemed to wane during the 1920s and ‘30s. There is a certain gloom in the works of this period, perhaps hardly surprising in the wake of the First World War and the subsequent economic depression. The visual arts fell back on tradition, as we can see in paintings by “magical realists” like Schuhmacher, Koch and Willink. They returned to a detailed representation of reality, almost like that practised by their seventeenth-century predecessors, although now it was placed in an alienating context. Also alienating, and sometimes even oppressive, are the paintings produced by Piet Ouborg in these years. Ouborg, who was
raised in Dordrecht, has a special place in the collection of the Dordrecht Museum. Every phase in his distinctive oeuvre is represented. Seeking new ways to depict “the heart of things”, in the 1930s Ouborg was inspired by a combination of surrealism and the religious culture of the Dutch East Indies, where he lived for many years. Back in the Netherlands, in the period immediately following the Second World War he became one of the first artists to paint entirely abstract compositions full of colour and movement. Experimentation and investigation Painting today Twentieth and twenty-first century The end of the Second World War unleashed an outburst of new artistic energy in the Netherlands. One of the best-known experimental movements of this period is the CoBrA group: the painters Constant, Karel Appel, Corneille, Theo Wolvecamp and, later, the Belgian Pierre Alechinsky. After the literally “liberated” art of CoBrA and its contemporaries, the 1960s and ‘70s saw a backlash in the form of new, more conceptual movements. One was the so-called Nul-groep (Zero Group), which is represented at the Dordrecht Museum with a fine group of works by such artists as Jan Schoonhoven and Armando. Their aim was to be as neutral as possible in their art: no “scene”, no feeling, no message. The Dutch version of Pop Art can be found in the works of Reinier Lucassen and the Belgian Roger Raveel. Lucassen’s Cosy Corner, for example, fits perfectly into our collection; as a typical old-fashioned Dutch interior, complete with a traditional landscape painting on the wall, it provides an ironic contrast to the “genuine” seventeenth and eighteenth interiors found elsewhere in the museum.
At the same time, Gerard Verdijk was preoccupied with more abstract concepts. Searching for a balance between momentum and inertia, he experimented with form, materials and technique. And for many years he maintained a close relationship with the Dordrecht Museum, which has been collecting his work since the 1980s. After his death in 2005, a generous donation by his widow, Josephine Sloet, meant that we now hold a collection spanning his entire oeuvre. In the mean time, the careful observation and illustration of reality has remained a recurrent theme in Dutch painting. Timehonoured genres like the landscape, the still life and the portrait continue to inspire. Ina van Zyl, for instance, paints still lifes no different in substance from those produced three hundred years ago. But whereas their painters emphasised the illusion of art – making the subject look as “real” as possible – for Van Zyl the material qualities of her medium are just as important. Consequently, the top layer of paint is remarkably thick and prominent. They are tomatoes and it is paint. Other artists, like Wouter van Riessen and Jan Roeland, concentrate entirely upon form. They do this by simplifying their observations to the extreme, leaving only the most powerful form and contour on view. Meanwhile, such artists as J. C. J. Vanderheyden and Jan Andriesse have made observation itself the subject of their paintings. Vanderheyden visualises his experience of space in time – the horizon as seen through an aircraft window – and at the same time investigates the utterly “flat space” of the painting itself. The painters of the Dutch Golden Age did all they could to make the viewer forget how flat their canvas really was. Vanderheyden, on the other hand, goes in search of that very dilemma and plays with the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface, a painterly game of all ages.
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Paintings Jan Sluijters Portrait of Greet van Cooten Greet van Cooten poses for her husband in an elegant flapper dress. Despite her fashionable outfit, she looks a little uncertain – shy, even. Nevertheless, Sluijters has produced a strongly portrait, painted robustly using just a few colours. But what expression he conveys through that red and that shimmering golden yellow! The Dordrecht Museum bought this work in 1927, by which time Sluijters was already incredibly popular. Pyke Koch Still Life with Apples and Pears, c. 19441946 The lifelike fruit in Koch’s mid-twentieth century painting looks very much like that shown in the still lifes of three hundred years earlier. Or is he trying to tell us more? These apples and pears are by no means perfect. Strongly lit against a rather menacing background, there is actually something unreal about them. Koch was a magical realist: the reality he depicts is “possible, but not probable”. Piet Ouborg Farewell Does this work evoke “pieces of a perished world”, as someone once said? And does that come from the title, Farewell? From the rising figure and the staircase-like form? Or from the painting’s strict delineation into light and dark sections? Ouborg incorporated both abstract and surrealistic elements into his work, so that it stimulates our imagination. Dreams and reality merge.
Piet Ouborg Figure in Circle, 1947 “Ovals, squares, diamonds, rectangles and trapeziums populate my dreams. And alongside them less perfect figures.” Thus wrote Ouborg in 1947, the year in which he became one of first Dutch painters to start producing abstract compositions full of colour, expression and movement. Through them he wanted to go back to basics: the “heart of things”. Figure in Circle is a good example of such an image, conceived “from the inside”. Pierre Alechinsky The Breath of the Snail Is this really the snail’s “breath” or, rather more prosaically, its slimy track? That seems to be the true inspiration for these fantastical figures in blue, green and silver. The abstract shapes and free style of painting are reminiscent of oriental calligraphy, with which Alechinsky came into contact not long after his CoBrA period. Many of the forms are framed, like written characters on squared paper. Karel Appel Child, Church, Animal On loan from the RCE 1951 (Collection Van Bilderbeek) Simple shapes, bright colours, firm lines. This is the language of CoBrA: imaginative, spontaneous and childishly primitive. According to Appel himself, “I paint like a barbarian in a barbaric time.” The post-war period saw many traditions ditched; this was the age of freedom, of experimentation, of dreams and of myths. Is Child, Church, Animal a dreamt image?
Armando Six Times Red, 1964-1970 On loan from the RCE 1971 (Collection Van Bilderbeek) The consumer society had Armando in its grip. “Everything was beautiful. Everything was interesting. One big eye, that’s how I felt.” As an artist, he collected industrial materials and transformed them into serial works. Consequently, there are several versions of Six Times Red. The colour is a reminder of the Second World War, images of which always haunted Armando. Ger Lataster Demonstration, 1958 Although Lataster titled this fiery work Demonstration, at first glance there is no telling why. Look harder, though, and in the thickly applied paint you can discern an excited crowd brandishing red flags. It is in fact an abstract interpretation of a Communist march. And because it shares these political overtones with CoBrA, it complements the work of that group well. Gerard Verdijk WZ.-61, 1961 Verdijk applied layer upon layer of paint in a limited number of contrasting earthy colours to create an expansive work with angular forms spread rhythmically across the canvas. The result somehow evokes a mysterious landscape, although there is nothing recognisable in it. But Verdijk was interested in the act of painting itself, not the outcome. Hence the full title of this work: W(it) Z(wart). (19)61 – “(W)hite (B)lack (19)61”
Wouter van Riessen Self-Portrait with Soap Bubble (two parts) The artist blowing bubbles. A reference to the transience of our existence? Or just a joke? Van Riessen confines himself to the basic lines and first develops his ideas on the computer. Only then does he start painting. Reminiscent of cartoons or comic strips, his self-portraits are not about producing a realistic image. Rather, he is seeking the boundary between man and mannequin.
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