Arie van der Boon: Groningen

Arie van der Boon

1886-1961

Dutch painter, etcher and printmaker.

Against the will of his parents Arie left home and family and his native Zutphen on river IJssel and enlisted in the Academie voor Beeldende Kunst in the Haque in 1903. To leave this institute in 1905 disappointed and taking up private lessons from Louis Willem van Soest (1867-1949) known for his winter landscape paintings and later from landscape painter Derk Wiggers (1866-1933). He was also influenced by Jan Voerman Sr. (1857-1941) the celebrated river IJssel, cattle, landscape and still-life painter (follow the label/tag below) 

Soon after he left for Belgium, wandered around empoverished to finally settle on Wiggers advice in the rural village of Rolde in the beautiful province of Drenthe. Not far from Groningen. There he stayed and worked the rest of life organizing annual exhibition sales of his work: paintings, drawings, etchings and linocut prints.  

Recently I found this charming, gloomy winter etching, with an illegible signature, showing the Driemolendrift and the der AA-Kerk (A-kerk) in my native city of Groningen. My grandparents lived around the corner and my parents started their married life here, right in this ancient street.

The area today is demolished and rebuild but once these characteristic houses with typical front door stairs were part of the medieval city walls and build over the arsenals and powder and ammunition bunkers below. 

Finding the ca. 1900 photograph shows how fine and skilled a draughtsman Arie van der Boon really was. With his contemporary Waalko Dingemans (1873-1925), who was bred and taught in Groningens own Minerva Art Academy they are my two favorite Groningen artists and etchers. More of his Groningen later.    

Curious as always I investigated a bit more resulting in this posting with some  examples of Arie van der Boon's art and this matching wintery Groningen etching of the Walstreet and that other landmark of the North, the Martini tower or "Olle Grize" (the old gray-one). It's on my wish list*. Offers and swapping of prints welcomed, also by Dingemans. 

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.

  

Have a glimpse at my new endeavor and project, it's still under construction and progress. There's daily uploading of new works, prints, paintings, etchings etc.. from my collections.  

 Galerie Souris