Willem Witsen
Encyclopedia
Willem Witsen was a Dutch
painter and photographer.
Witsen was born in a wealthy ruling-class family, dating back to the governing families of the 17th century, of whom Cornelis Jan Witsen
and his son Nicolaes Witsen
were members. He studied at academies in Amsterdam
and Antwerp. Witsen's work, influenced by James MacNeill Whistler, often portrayed calm urban landscapes as well as agricultural scenes. He also created portraits and photographs of prominent figures of the Amsterdam art world.
Witsen belonged to the Tachtigers, a group of young artists who proclaimed the principle of l'art pour l'art Art for art's sake
. The group influenced Dutch artistic and political life during the 1890s. Witsen wrote under a pseudonym
in the literary magazine De Nieuwe Gids
, which he also supported financially.
His circle of friends included the painters George Hendrik Breitner
, Isaac Israëls
, and Jan Veth
and the writers Lodewijk van Deyssel
, Albert Verwey
, Willem Kloos
, and Herman Gorter
.
During visits to London
, Witsen became acquainted with the paintings of James McNeill Whistler. Witsen worked in artist's colonies in Laren, Rotterdam
, Wijk bij Duurstede en Ede. He made his studies of the small town Dordrecht
while sitting in a boat, which gave him the special lower viewpoint which is characteristic of his works in that town.
After returning to Amsterdam, Witsen became a member of the artists circle Maatschappij Arti et Amicitiae. He was also a member of the artists association Sint Lucas, which is named after Saint Luke, patron of the painters.
Witsen's works are distinguishable from those of a contemporary European style, Impressionism
. Their atmosphere is melancholy, depicting austere, wintery, dark scenes. The dark paintings did not sell well at his first solo exhibition, sponsored by the Amsterdam art dealer Van Wisselingh in 1895. A few years later, after his second exhibition, he proved successful with his prints depicting Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and painted views on Ede, and his watercolours were particularly successful.
Prices granted to him at the World's Fair
in Paris and St. Louis brought him to the attention of an international public. Here Witsen showed prints and paintings of Venice. He experimented with colour etching and has been painting portraits and floral still lifes during his whole career. He visited the Art's Fair of 1915 in San Francisco and traveled to the Dutch East-Indies a few years before his death.
which initially had also been used by Breitner, is situated at Oosterpark 82 in Amsterdam and is now a state-owned museum. The Witsenhouse (Witsenhuis) as it is called today has been restored to its original condition. For visits a written request is mandatory.
The late-romanticist
Dutch writer Nescio
portrayed the main character of his story Verliefdheid (Being in love) from March 1919 as the occupier of this house. The Witsenhuis now is available as temporary housing for writers. The Dutch writer Marga Minco
lived here from 1949 to 1970 with her husband Bert Voeten. Among the later occupiers of the house were the writers Jan Kal
and Thomas Rosenboom.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
painter and photographer.
Witsen was born in a wealthy ruling-class family, dating back to the governing families of the 17th century, of whom Cornelis Jan Witsen
Cornelis Jan Witsen
Cornelis Jansz. Witsen was a counsellor and mayor of the city of Amsterdam. He was the father of Nicolaes Witsen and the son of Jan Witsz and Grietje Claes....
and his son Nicolaes Witsen
Nicolaes Witsen
Nicolaas or Nicolaes Witsen was mayor of Amsterdam thirteen times, between 1682-1706. In 1693 he became administrator of the VOC. In 1689 he was extraordinary-ambassador to the English court, and became Fellow of the Royal Society. In his free time he was cartographer, maritime writer, and an...
were members. He studied at academies in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Antwerp. Witsen's work, influenced by James MacNeill Whistler, often portrayed calm urban landscapes as well as agricultural scenes. He also created portraits and photographs of prominent figures of the Amsterdam art world.
Formative Years
As a student at the Amsterdam Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten (Academy of Visual Arts), Willem Witsen was a board member of the artists association Sint Lucas. He was the founder of the Nederlandse Etsclub (Dutch Etching Club).Witsen belonged to the Tachtigers, a group of young artists who proclaimed the principle of l'art pour l'art Art for art's sake
Art for art's sake
"Art for art's sake" is the usual English rendering of a French slogan, from the early 19th century, l'art pour l'art, and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only "true" art, is divorced from any didactic, moral or utilitarian function...
. The group influenced Dutch artistic and political life during the 1890s. Witsen wrote under a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
in the literary magazine De Nieuwe Gids
De Nieuwe Gids
De Nieuwe Gids was a Dutch illustrated literary periodical which was published from 1885 to 1943. It played an important role in promoting the literary movement of 1880s...
, which he also supported financially.
His circle of friends included the painters George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner wasa Dutch painter and photographer.-Biography:George Hendrik Breitner was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1876–1880 he attended the Academy in the Hague where his extraordinary talent was rewarded on various occasions...
, Isaac Israëls
Isaac Israëls
Isaac Lazarus Israëls was a Dutch painter.The son of the painter Jozef Israëls, Isaac Israëls developed an interest in painting in childhood. Between 1878 and 1880 he studied at the academy in The Hague...
, and Jan Veth
Jan Veth
Jan Pieter Veth , was a Dutch painter, poet, art critic and university lecturer.Jan Veth was the son of Gerradus Huibert Veth, a Dordrecht iron merchant and liberal politician, and Anna Cornelia Giltay. On his mother's side he descended from the Dordrecht painter family of Van Strij...
and the writers Lodewijk van Deyssel
Lodewijk van Deyssel
Lodewijk van Deyssel was the pseudonym of Karel Joan Lodewijk Alberdingk Thijm , a Dutch novelist, prose-poet and literary critic and a leading member of the Tachtigers.- External links :...
, Albert Verwey
Albert Verwey
Albert Verwey was a Dutch poet associated with the "Movement of Eighty".Albert Verweywas born May 15, 1865, Amsterdam, Neth.Died March 8, 1937, Noordwijk aan Zee....
, Willem Kloos
Willem Kloos
Willem Johannes Theodorus Kloos was a Dutch poet and literary critic, and is widely considered one of the great writers of the Dutch language....
, and Herman Gorter
Herman Gorter
Herman Gorter was a Dutch poet and socialist. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers, a highly influential group of Dutch writers who worked together in Amsterdam in the 1880s, centered around De Nieuwe Gids .Gorter's first book, a 4,000 verse epic poem called "Mei" , sealed his reputation...
.
During visits to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Witsen became acquainted with the paintings of James McNeill Whistler. Witsen worked in artist's colonies in Laren, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Wijk bij Duurstede en Ede. He made his studies of the small town Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
while sitting in a boat, which gave him the special lower viewpoint which is characteristic of his works in that town.
After returning to Amsterdam, Witsen became a member of the artists circle Maatschappij Arti et Amicitiae. He was also a member of the artists association Sint Lucas, which is named after Saint Luke, patron of the painters.
Witsen's works are distinguishable from those of a contemporary European style, Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
. Their atmosphere is melancholy, depicting austere, wintery, dark scenes. The dark paintings did not sell well at his first solo exhibition, sponsored by the Amsterdam art dealer Van Wisselingh in 1895. A few years later, after his second exhibition, he proved successful with his prints depicting Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and painted views on Ede, and his watercolours were particularly successful.
Townscapes
His best works include serene views on Amsterdams, like those of the Herengracht and Leidsegracht, “Turfschepen in de Oude Schans” and “Gezicht op de oude Waal”. In 1911 Witsen purchased a barge in order to again work from a water-level standpoint.Prices granted to him at the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in Paris and St. Louis brought him to the attention of an international public. Here Witsen showed prints and paintings of Venice. He experimented with colour etching and has been painting portraits and floral still lifes during his whole career. He visited the Art's Fair of 1915 in San Francisco and traveled to the Dutch East-Indies a few years before his death.
Photography and letters
- His original photographs show his experience in etching because of his close attention to perspective, composition and working in nuances of black and white.
- Witsen's correspondence which is important in both literary and art historical respect can be read on the site of the DBNL (a database of Dutch literature).
Witsen's house
Witsens studioStudio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
which initially had also been used by Breitner, is situated at Oosterpark 82 in Amsterdam and is now a state-owned museum. The Witsenhouse (Witsenhuis) as it is called today has been restored to its original condition. For visits a written request is mandatory.
The late-romanticist
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
Dutch writer Nescio
Nescio
"Nescio", Latin for "I don't know", was the pseudonym of the Dutch writer Jan Hendrik Frederik Grönloh, born June 22, 1882 in Amsterdam and died July 25, 1961 in Hilversum, both in the Netherlands. Grönloh was a businessman by profession; as Nescio he is mainly remembered for the three novellas De...
portrayed the main character of his story Verliefdheid (Being in love) from March 1919 as the occupier of this house. The Witsenhuis now is available as temporary housing for writers. The Dutch writer Marga Minco
Marga Minco
Marga Minco is the pseudonym of Sara Menco is a Dutch journalist and writer. Her surname was actually Menco, but an official switched the vowel by mistake.- Biography :...
lived here from 1949 to 1970 with her husband Bert Voeten. Among the later occupiers of the house were the writers Jan Kal
Jan Kal
Johannes Pieter "Jan" Kal is a Dutch poet. He lives in Amsterdam. Along with others, such as Gerrit Komrij, Jan Kuijper, and Jean-Pierre Rawie, he helped revive the sonnet in Dutch literature, and substantially all of Kal's work is in sonnet form...
and Thomas Rosenboom.