Antonius Johannes (Antoon) Derkinderen (

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

, 20 December 1859 – Amsterdam, 2 November 1925) was a Dutch

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

Glass art Glass art refers to individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. It ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glas ...

ist,

Draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for m ...

and designer of book covers.

Life

Early Years

Antoon Derkinderen was born in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1859 to Antonius Henricus Derkinderen, gold- and silversmith, and Hendrica de Rooij. At the time the town was deeply Catholic and conservative. DerkinderenVeth

From 1874 to 1878 Derkinderen went to the daytime school for primary school teachers in 's-Hertogenbosch. The simple reason why Derkinderen went to this school, was that the education was solid and free of charge. He also became qualified to teach drawing and mathematics. Derkinderen would lead the choir of this school with very much enthusiasm. In May 1878 Derkinderen qualified as an assistant teacher for primary education. In his hometown 's-Hertogenbosch, Derkinderen then went to the Royal School of Applied and Visual Arts from 1878 to 1880. This school was led by J.Th. Stracké. Derkinderen would receive extensive teaching by Stracké, and would later note how much he appreciated his teacher. Three days a week Derkinderen got lessons in architectural drawing by Lambert Hezenmans, architect of the restoration of the famous local St. John's Cathedral. Derkinderen appreciated Hezenmans' work a lot less, but the constant exposure to the work at the cathedral and its art can hardly have failed to influence Derkinderen. In 1880 Derkinderen went to Amsterdam, where he studied at the

Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. It is a classical academy, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. The school supports ...

till 1883. In 1882 Derkinderen interrupted his study to go to Brussels together with

Jan Toorop Johannes Theodorus 'Jan' TooropJan Toorop

Jan Frans Portaels. In 1886 and 1887 he lived on the Parkweg in Amsterdam. Derkinderen was one of the first members of the Artist Society St. Luke. From 1888 till 1890 he was again in Brussels. Derkinderen then settled in the

art colony An art colony, also known as an artists' colony, can be defined two ways. Its most liberal description refers to the organic congregation of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, often drawn by areas of natural beauty, the prior existence o ...

Laren. Derkinderen had many relations. His ideal was that students would learn to paint in a craftsman model based on the medieval guilds. This would unit arts and crafts. In 1903 he founded the workshop 'De Zonnebloem' in Laren. In this workshop some large leadlights were produced, amongst them the leadlight for the stock exchange. However, a lack of further orders forced Derkinderen to sell the workshop again in 1906.

Principal of the national academy of visual arts

In 1907 Derkinderen moved to Amsterdam again, where he became principal of the

. He remained principal till 1925. In 1914 Derkinderen became a doctor honoris causa at the

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is th ...

Family life

In 1894 Derkinderen married the artist and historian Johanna Henriette Besier (1865-1944) but the marriage remained childless. In 1927 his wife would publish his childhood memories titled: 'The youth of Antoon Derkinderen told by himself in 1892' . The work contains a portrait by his student

Debora Duyvis Debora Geertruida Duyvis (1886-1960) was a Dutch illustrator and engraver. Biography Duyvis was born on 17 February 1886 in Amsterdam. She studied at the ''Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten'' (State Academy of Fine Arts). Her instructors incl ...

(1886-1974).

Works

First assignment, the Sacrament of Miracle

Amsterdam - Begijnhof Catholic Chapel - 0740

Derkinderen's got his first assignment in 1884. It was for a painting of the medieval Amsterdam procession on account of the

Miracle of Amsterdam A ''stille omgang'' ("Silent Walk" or circumambulation) is an informal ritual that served as substitute for the Roman Catholic processions that were prohibited after the Reformation in the Netherlands in the 16th century. Best known is the ''Still ...

. It would have to be placed in the Begijnhof Chapel, Amsterdam. The assignment was given by B.H. Klönne. Derkinderen first set out to produce the painting that Klönne intended. He portraited about 80 Catholic citizens that would recognizable appear in the painting. In 1887 Derkinderen then went to study in Italy, but it was on the way back in France that his ideas changed. In the Paris

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

he saw the work of

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French people, French Painting, painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Soci ...

. Derkinderen then changed the painting from following a traditional Catholic idea, to a painting that incorporated modern ideas. The first change was that he began to use shadowy halftints, the second that it became much more abstract, the prominent citizens were no longer recognizable. When it was finished, the painting was exhibited in Art hall Panorama in Amsterdam. In June 1889 it was exhibited in Pulchri on the Prinsegracht in the Hague. The painting was widely discussed in the Dutch media, and Derkinderen became famous. There was a lot of criticism, but most experts were positive. The painting got an enthusiastic review by

Jan Veth Jan Pieter Veth (18 May 1864, Dordrecht – 1 July 1925, Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter, poet, art critic and university lecturer. He is especially noted as a portrait painter. Amongst his sitters were Max Liebermann, Lambertus Zijl, Frank van ...

. He appreciated Derkinderen's intention to create a painting that was part of the building, instead of an independent work of art. Principal Klönne was less than enthusiastic. He refused the work for which he had already paid the full price of 4,000 guilders, and ordered a replacement by C.F. Philippeau. The Sacrament of Miracle was bought by a private person, and in 1895 it was received in loan by the

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

. In one of these transactions Klönne, received 2,000 for the painting, in return for which he gave up his claims against Derkinderen. In 1929 Derkinderen was fully vindicated when his work replaced Philippeau's work, which was moved to a higher floor.

Establishes himself with murals

Already by 1884 Derkinderen had exhibited sketches for

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s in 's-Hertogenbosch city hall. These had met with wide approval. For the 700th anniversary of 's-Hertogenbosch Derkinderen designed a procession, which probably re-used his research. In August 1889 the municipality accepted Derkinderen's design. Academiegebouw Derkinderen Interbellum 0214

Academiegebouw Derkinderen Interbellum 0214

In 1891 Derkinderen realized his design, which became known as the first Bosch wall. It was a work on canvas which was affixed to the wall, and made Derkinderen an established artist. One year later Art critic Jan Veth wrote ''Derkinderens wandschildering in het Bossche stadhuis'', and launched the term: ''community art'' , (cf.

Community arts Community art, also known as social art, community-engaged art, community-based art, and, rarely, dialogical art, is the practice of art based in and generated in a community setting. It is closely related to social practice and social turn. Work ...

). It founded Derkinderen's reputation as a monumental painter and community artist. In 1893 Derkinderen painted the Second Bosch wall. This was received with far less enthusiasm, primarily because it was much more stylized. Derkinderen was very interested in

Leadlight Leadlights, leaded lights or leaded windows are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came to be known as came glasswork. The term 'leadlight' could be ...

art. He was convinced that it was a form of community art even more than monumental painting was. Derkinderens's first big leadlight assignment was the window for Utrecht University in 1893/1894. At first the architects E. Engel and C. Muysken wanted to refuse the work, because it did not fit with the renaissance character of the building. It was nevertheless accepted.

Book Illustrations

In the 1890s Leo Simons took the initiative to produce a very luxurious edition of

Joost van den Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch poet, writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most ...

's Gijsbrecht van Aemstel. Derkinderen illustrated the book, stage designs were made by H.P. Berlage. Music was composed by

Alphons Diepenbrock Alphonsus Johannes Maria Diepenbrock (2 September 1862 in Amsterdam – 5 April 1921) was a Dutch composer, essayist and classicist. Life and work Diepenbrock was not a musician by training. Brought up in a prosperous Catholic family, althou ...

and Bernard Zweers. The multidisciplinary cooperation between artists makes the book a prime example of late nineteenth century community art. In 1895 the first issue of the 'Gedenkboek der Keuze-tentoonstelling van 1892' appeared. Derkinderen made the cover, the frontispiece and other decorations. Next Derkinderen illustrated the Missa by

. Diepenbrock was one of the closest friends of Derkinderen. In 1898 Diepenbrock's Sequentia Stabat Mater Dolorosa was illustrated by Derkinderen.

Berlage's General Society for Life Insurance and Annuities

After producing the Vondel edition, Derkinderen would cooperate with the architect Berlage for a while. Derkinderen got an assignment for murals in the building that Berlage designed for the General Society for Life Insurance and Annuities , which was built 1895-1900. Derkinderen completed the murals in the stairway of the building in 1900. This time, the presence of central heating induced Derkinderen to paint directly on the wall. The work had a commercial meaning, advertising the usefulness of insurance. This probably caused that it did not make a deep impression. The first floor of the stairway had 'Luxury' and 'Need' across from 'Life Insurance'. Between the first and second floors was 'Time'. On the second floor were 'Health' and 'Illness' across from 'The Wheel of Fortune'. Between the second and third floor was the 'Stair of life'. Seven design drawings for the work were exhibited during construction, and 'The Wheel of Fortune' and 'Time' were sold while on exhibition in Utrecht. In 1902

Need A need is dissatisfaction at a point of time and in a given context. Needs are distinguished from wants. In the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a ...

() was acquired by

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Municipal Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen () is an art museum in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The name of the museum is derived from the two most important collectors of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans and Daniël George van Beuningen. It is located at ...

. In late 1904 the Utrecht Museum for Applied Arts () bought 'The Lesson' (). The building was later used by C&A, and burned down in 1963.

Work on Berlage's Exchange

Beurs Amsterdam Leadlight Derkinderen Interbellum 0010

Derkinderen's next big assignment was for the Amsterdam Exchange, now known as the

Beurs van Berlage The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the centre of Amsterdam. It was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in part ...

. The assignment to decorate the Great Hall of the chamber of commerce, which was really a city auditorium, was given in mid 1900. By November 1900 the roof of the building was closed and work on the interior started. By November 1901 it became known that Berlage refused to accept Derkinderen's work. According to him, Derkinderen had deviated from the overall plan, especially by incorporating symbolism in his wall paintings. Amsterdam Exchange Interbellum 0006

The issue was solved by appointing a committee of arbitration, which would decide whether Derkinderen could refer to

artistic license Artistic license (alongside more contextually-specific derivative terms such as poetic license, historical license, dramatic license, and narrative license) refers to deviation from fact or form for artistic purposes. It can include the alterat ...

, or was bound to work according to the project description. Members of the committee were Jan Veth, and A. Pit, who would appoint a third member. In January 1902 the conflict was ended by this committee, with both parties moving a bit. When the exchange opened in May 1903, the great leadlight of the hall was complete. Derkinderen's murals were delayed by serious concerns about the acoustics of the hall. By late 1904 these paintings were not yet completed. In December 1905 Derkinderen's designs for the wall paintings were published. A commission was then appointed to investigate whether it would possible to change the acoustics of the hall so it would become suitable for public events other than formal meetings. The commission concluded that this could perhaps be done by applying fabric to the wall, i.e. by executing Derkinderen's design on

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

affixed to the wall. Even then, the result would not be certain. One could only be sure in advance by fixing canvas to the walls at a cost of 3,000 guilders, which would be lost if the result was insufficient. The city government declined this experiment, and advised another option to the council. The council insisted on the wall paintings. Meanwhile the foundations of the exchange proved less than solid, and cracks in the walls appeared in multiple places. By August 1907 the municipality planned to place 3.5 m high

panelling Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

in the hall. Above that came

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...

curtains, and above these

velour Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It is usually made from cotton, but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Often, it contains a percentage of elastane, ...

curtains. The paneling prevented the execution of Derkinderens's design, and in a practical sense this also applied to the curtains. By 1909 the hall had a lowered ceiling, and litigation between the municipality and Derkinderen seemed imminent. Derkinderen and the municipality worked out a solution, but it was Derkinderen's last big assignment for a mural.

The Bazel

Derkinderen's last big leadlight assignment was for

De Bazel De Bazel is a listed/protected historic building on the west side of the Vijzelstraat in Amsterdam (at number 32), and stretches from the Herengracht to the Keizersgracht. It stands as an example of Brick Expressionism. History The building w ...

. This was built as the office of the

Netherlands Trading Society The Netherlands Trading Society ( nl, Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij or NHM) was a Dutch trading and financial company, established in 1824 in The Hague by King William I to promote and develop trade, shipping and agriculture. For the next 140 ...

(NHM) from 1919 to 1926. The NHM was a very powerful company and bank, and this was expressed in its offices, which became over 100 m long, and had 10 floors. Construction took place between 1919 and 1926. Before the building was finished, the architect

Karel de Bazel Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel (Den Helder, 14 February 1869—Amsterdam, 28 November 1923) was a modern Dutch architect, engraver, draftsman, furniture designer, carpet designer, glass artist and bookbinding designer. He was the teacher of Adria ...

died on 28 November 1923. Derkinderen then advised on the completion of the building. Above the entrance on the Vijzelstraat is a stairway with a series of 20 memorial leadlights offered by the Asian staff of the company. These were designed by Derkinderen and finished by Joep Nicolas. They leadlights depict: the situation before the foundation of the NHM with unemployment, poverty, degeneration and welfare; The sources of wealth personified by

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenog ...

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

and

Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...

; Next is the use of wealth, depicted in need, action, luxury, and fight; The last eight windows further elaborate on this by depicting the legend of the

Lady of Stavoren The Lady of Stavoren (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Vrouwtje van Stavoren'', West Frisian language, West Frisian: ''Frouke fan Starum'') is a Folklore, folk tale from the Netherlands which originated in the 16th century. The legend Now a village of jus ...

. Derkinderen also designed other leadlights in the great hall, also finished by Nicolas.

Significance

Derkinderen was inspired by e.g. the 'Gesamtkunst' of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and the Medieval Cathedrals, and strove for a fusion of art disciplines under the leadership of architecture. Under the influence of the ideas of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

and

Walter Crane Walter Crane (15 August 184514 March 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and K ...

, he came to the realization that by following 'l'art-pour-l'art' ideas, art had become isolated from society, and artisanship had been ignored. Derkinderen strove for a new integration of art and society, where art serviced society and emanated from society. As such, community art was not about individual impressions and emotions, but about art that expressed grand and broad ideas.

Gallery

Multiple techniques

File:Interieur, aanzicht gebrandschilderde glas-in-loodramen - Amsterdam - 20366711 - RCE.jpg,

(Amsterdam) File:Derkinderen moeder knaapje.jpg, Mother with boy (study) File:Derkinderen.jpg, Aquarel of the procession on account of 700th anniversary of the foundation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (1885) File:Gijsbrecht van Aemstel titelblad (1893) Antoon Derkinderen.jpg, Frontispiece of ''Gijsbrecht van Aemstel'' (1893) File:Tbc-3-ct.jpg, Stamp (1906)

Paintings

File:Derkinderen - Studie van halfnaakte man met tulband.jpg, Study of semi-nude man with turban, 1885 File:Derkinderen Dood kindje.jpg, Dead baby, 1886 File:Antonius Derkinderen Portret Stephane Mallarme.jpg, Portrait of

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...

, 1891 File:Antonius Derkinderen Naakt.jpg, Nude, 1900-1910

References

* * * * * * * * * *

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Derkinderen, Antoon 19th-century Dutch painters 20th-century Dutch painters Dutch glass artists Dutch draughtsmen 1925 deaths 1859 births