Floris Arntzenius: jars and flowers

(Pieter Floris Nicolaas Jacobus)

Floris Arntzenius

(Soerabaja 1864 – 1925 the-Hague)

Dutch painter

From before posting, featuring etcher Hendrik Christiaan Spruit and his  linoleum-etchings and ginger jar compositions, to painter Floris Arntzenius I think is an understandable and not to big a leap. Both men were afterall contemporaries, lived and worked in the city of the-Hague and both enjoyed an Indonesian youth and background. I guess they must have known one another. The contrast however between the world of color and black and white couldn't be better illustrated.

At the age of eleven Floris was send to the Netherlands from Java (Netherlands Dutch Indies) to Amsterdam were he was raised by an uncle and aunt. He visited the Royal Arts Academy (RAvBK) in Amsterdam 1883-1888 and later the Royal Arts Academy (KAvSK) in Antwerp

In his Amsterdam class were painter-etcher Willem Witsen (1860-1923) and later famous Dutch (the Amsterdam Impressionist) painters Isaac Israëls (1865-1934), George Breitner (1857-1923) who also did (below left) a ginger jar with anemones as did another class mate painter Floris Verster (1861-1927) famous for his flowers still-lives (below right).

Besides, Breitner and Witsen were among the earliest Dutch city photographers recording the city views and its inhabitants extensively on glass-plate negatives.

Arntzenius, perhaps because of his Indonesian background, moved with his widowed mother to the-Hague in 1892 becoming the 3 impressionist painter of but of the-Hague: the Netherlands capitol. His works are collected in our National Museums and in private collections.

He was one of the most versatile Dutch painters: famous for his watercolours he also was a master in painting rainy day street and city life (of the Haque), Dutch landscapes, Victorian beach life, and in later life grew into a highly regarded and requested portrait painter.

But placed between the text of this posting here are his flower paintings often with iconic and aesthetic ginger jars (and nasturtiums) an almost exclusively Dutch composition and “invention”. As I’ve explained in my earliest Blogging career (follow the tags gingerjar) and throughout.

His wife Alida Margaretha Maria (Lide) Doorman (1872-1954) and his eldest (of 4) daughters Elize Claudine (Lies) (1902-1982) were also able painters and they too embraced flowers and (maybe the family's) ginger jars as their subjects. 

Above: daughter Lies, flowers in pot by her and portrait of her by her father.  

Above: one of the loveliest: by Lide Arntzenius, the painters wife.

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

(Today, there has been an addition to the recent posting on Lina Ammer. For those who might be interested)   

Hendrik Christiaan Spruit, wayward etcher.

Hendrik Christiaan Spruit
(H.C. Spruit)

(Cilacap-Java 1881 - 1942 the-Hague)

Dutch painter, teacher and grafic artist, 
wayward linoleum-etcher.

For this weekend, after some serious hesitation and as an exception I've decided letting you into a secret with meeting one of my most special and favorite printmakers. But also one of the most forgotten, neglected and obscured artists. Concerning his biography there's nothing much to go on in the public archives but I've decided sharing what I've found and collected so far. Often reactions om postings lead to new material and facts. Let's hope so.

Born in Netherlands Dutch-Indies (Cilacap on the south coast of Java) in 1881 by Dutch parents he returned (in or around 1907) as did probably his parents, to live and work as so many returning ex-colonials in the city of the Hague. Anno 2013 H.C. Spruit I decided is definitely in need of some renewed attention and certainly appraisal.

I was able to trace a Carel Johannes Pieter Spruit (1854 -1949) and his wife Wilhelmina Johanna Reuhl (born 1858) as a constructional military engineer in Java. His parents. The agricultural Spruit family roots and ancestors originating from around the city of Bodegraven near Gouda. H.C.'s grandfather was also a Hendrik Christiaan.

Most of his work is characterized and signed as Linoleum Etchings. I know of only one Dutch artist who tried at this technique also (I'll introduce him in next posting): Dick van Luyn (1896-1981) but never he came close to the stunning results H.C. Spruit was able to achieve with just acid, paper and ink and some flooring material. And a scoop of talent of course.

I have no knowledge of any other artist using or trying this special technique to this scale. And I mean to say: in the whole world. Besides these peculiar and very soft toned etchings H.C. Spruit created several lithographic prints, and I've read about at least one painting in oil. He always signed: H.C. Spruit and often used the monogram HCS

Water lilies in linoleum etchings and in lithographic print (lower).

He married in 1915 Maria Jongman from Vollenhove, the marriage was not a particularly happy one and just one son was born and in the family tradition was named after his grandfather: Carel Johannes Pieter (1918-2010) a biochemist, married to Alida van der Burg (1914-2009). And I know H.C. had a namesake contemporary nephew H.C. Spruit (1875-1952) who was a professional artist sculptor (in Amsterdam), but I haven't been able to trace any examples of his art.

My favorites: highly aesthetic ginger jars with Nasturtiums and Violets, so very and typically Dutch. H.C. Spruit confirming my fascination and admiration for these "classic" combinations. 

I have no idea how many works Hendrik Christaan Spruit created, nor where he was trained. I've collected an odd few over the years (what you see here) but occasionally an unknown and new-to-me, print surfaces. They vary from small to huge, the sunflowers and lily in Japanese vase measure 40 x 50 cm, the sheet 50 x 70 cm. The rather dark and (some say) gloomy appearance is not to everybody's contemporary taste. But I can't help loving them. One of the first prints I started my collecting with was the reddish small blossoming tree print (above). 

I'm convinced the combination of technique used and the medium Linoleum did not allow for printing any substantial editions, the linoleum probably wearing off quickly using the heavy etching press. 

All prints I've seen and examined closely excel however in highest quality and detailing, and the bigger ones have a very rough, shark skin like, surface also proof of the artists high standard limiting the use of the blocks (plates) before they ware off completely and not printing to the bitter end. This collection is probably also proof of combined and his perhaps developping techniques. Sadly H.C. Spruit didn't number or dated his editions, this small landscape (below), one of my latest acquisitions thanks to an observant dealer (thank you Sergei !) is the only exception: not dated but numbered 5/10 confirming very low edition numbers. 

Below: Morning Glories, Prunkwinde, Klimmende Winde, Lat. Ipomoea tricolor:
 prints from lithographic stone (L.) and linoleum etching (R.).

I'm always interested in more and new biographical facts about this wonderful artist, his life and his family as I am of course in acquiring any new prints. For the purpose of swapping over the years I've reserved some very nice extra prints that's why I'ld rather not sell any. Here're the ones I know of and I'ld like to discover and add to my collection one day (following 3 prints below). 

And to my great surprise: just this afternoon I was able to contact his grandson: Prof.Dr. Hendrik Christiaan Spruit  (b.1948) a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) near Munich who was likewise surprised and informed me his grandfather was a teacher at drawing in the Hague: This posting will definitely be continued ! 

  All pictures are mouse-clickable to embiggen.

All pictures (when not from my personal collection) borrowed freely from the internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use. 

Marjolein Terwindt, printmaker

Marjolein Terwindt-Wetterau
(1957-)

Dutch contemporary painter and printmaker.

Blogreaders may be as surprised as I was discovering this working and living very near to my home artist. Marjolein Terwindt studied in the Minerva Art Academy in the nearby university city of Groningen. I've treated and shown artists who followed this renowned and longtime,  esthablished in 1798,  Academy in the Linosaurus before. 

Reduction printmaking techniques are a more modern approach to printmaking. Generally speaking it is fitting less into my personal field of interest and taste. The result, to me, is often too realistic and sometimes even too good to be true where I favour a more impressionist approach. But stumbling over a picture of these wonderful 3 chinese jars in such exquisite colors making the diference and exception, and change my mind, and investigate the artist printmaker involved. Thus, to my excitement and delight, finding some more gems which I share today.

And let's be honest, these examples of her cutting and printing skills I've found on her website (below) are very convincing and stunningly beautiful  and I honestly cannot think of any reasonable reason I haven't discovered them before. 

Here is the link to the website of this artist if you'ld like to investigate the art of Marjolein further: http://marjoleinterwindtwetterauw.exto.nl/. 

PS: I think I'll invite myself and pay her a visit soon and maybe see these marvels  in person and real life. Of which I shall do account of course. 

Ginger jars and Flowers, Part II

Autumn is maybe the best time to share with you my fascination for this "genre". In a few postings I'll do my best to show and share some of the pictures of paintings I've collected. In some logical way.

Jan H.W. Wittenberg (1886-1963) - Maria Wilhelmina Wandscheer (1856-1936)

In this Part I'll will show to you (small) paintings in oil of compositions with ginger jars with only the smallest, sometimes minute flower component. The way some wind victims or accidentally broken of flowers are used to create an instant first aid bouquet.

Germ de Jong (1886-1967) - Hobbe Smith (1862-1942)

In part I discussed the possible history and origin of this (I think) very Dutch theme.

Jan Voerman Sr. (1857-1941)

Since the mid 1800's it has become a very loved classic combination and subject to painters to this day.

"Hein" J.S.H. Kever (1854-1922) - Adriaan J. van 't Hoff (1893-1939)

The generations that display flowers in the home in these pots or jars recognizing its classic aesthetic combination, is rapidly dwindling.

L: ? - R: Alberta Joh. Meijer-Smetz(1893-1953)

And if you hate nasturtiums (Kapuziner Kresse) or Violets and Anemones I think I have bored you to death at this point. So for the diehards:

Jos van den Berg (1905 - 1978) - Frans David Oerder (1867-1944)

L: Henk Welther (pseud. 1885-1947) - R: ?

John Smith (?) - Anne S. Fisher 1922 (1873-1942)

These last two examples by a non Dutch painter

Beware ! There is more to come in Part III.