Gerard Gustaaf Muller (20 January 1861 – 26 March 1929) was a Dutch
Impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
painter associated with the
Tachtigers
The Tachtigers ("Eightiers"), otherwise known as the Movement of Eighty ( nl, Beweging van Tachtig), were a radical and influential group of Dutch writers who developed a new approach in 19th-century Dutch literature. They interacted and worked ...
literary movement. His later works show elements of
Orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...
.
Biography
His father, Johan Werner Anton Muller, was a ship owner. He had two older brothers; Hendrik (1855-1927), a writer, and , an architect. From 1880 to 1884, he studied at the
Rijksakademie
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 support ...
with
August Allebé
August Allebé (19 April 1838 – 10 January 1927) was an artist and teacher from the Northern Netherlands.
His early paintings were in a romanticism, romantic style, but in his later work he was an exponent of realism (arts), realism and impress ...
.
[Profile](_blank)
@ the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie. While there, Hendrik introduced him and his friends,
Jacobus van Looy
Jacobus (Jac) van Looy (12 September 1855 – 24 February 1930) was a Dutch painter and writer.
Biography
Van Looy was the son of a carpenter, but his father lost his job when his eyesight began to fail. His mother died when he was five y ...
and
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 ...
, to a group called "Flanor", precursor of the Tachtiger (Eighties) movement.
[Brief biographies of Muller and his brother](_blank)
@ ArtWis.
From 1884 to 1888, he studied at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp with
Charles Verlat.
In 1887, he took second place for the
Willink van Collenprijs
Willink van Collenprijs (''English'': The Willink van Collen Award) is a former Dutch art award, which was awarded for the first time in 1880 by the Sociëteit Arti et Amicitiae. It was intended as an encouragement award for young artists, and wa ...
. The following year, he returned to Amsterdam and took up residence at a house near the
Oosterpark which would also be home to
George Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner (12 September 1857 – 5 June 1923) was a Dutch painter and photographer. An important figure in Amsterdam Impressionism, he is noted especially for his paintings of street scenes and harbours in a realistic style. He pa ...
and
Isaac Israëls
Isaac Lazarus Israëls (3 February 1865 – 7 October 1934) was a Dutch painter associated with the Amsterdam Impressionism movement.
Biography
The son of Jozef Israëls, one of the most respected painters of the Hague School, and Aleida ...
, among others.
At this time, he created mostly watercolors of city scenes with figures. Later, he made several long trips; to Spain (1900), Italy (1913) and Morocco (1920).
His work gradually came to show an obvious southern influence and many had Orientalist features.
In early 1918, he held an exhibition at the showroom of the "Maatschappij Panorama" and made the acquaintance of
Louis Couperus
Louis Marie-Anne Couperus (10 June 1863 – 16 July 1923) was a Dutch novelist and poet. His oeuvre contains a wide variety of genres: lyric poetry, psychological and historical novels, novellas, short stories, fairy tales, feuilletons and ske ...
, who held a lecture there in February; a meeting that received positive notice in the ''
Algemeen Handelsblad
''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands.
History
''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...
''. He and Couperus would become regular correspondents after that.
For many years, he was a member of
Arti et Amicitiae; serving as its secretary and, later, as treasurer.
In 1889, he married Jenny Juliette "Jetje" Roos (1865-1957), a comic actress.
Juliette Roos
@ IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Selected paintings
File:Muller-Invitation.jpg, Invitation
File:GG Muller Medina.jpg, Figures in the
Medina Quarter
A medina (from ar, مدينة, translit=madīnah, lit=city) is a historical district in a number of North African cities, often corresponding to an old walled city. The term comes from the Arabic word simply meaning "city" or "town".
Histori ...
File:Muller-Girl.jpg, Girl at the Door
File:GG Muller Fancy dress.jpg, Fancy Dress
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Gerard
1861 births
1929 deaths
19th-century Dutch painters
Dutch male painters
20th-century Dutch painters
Dutch Impressionist painters
Dutch watercolourists
Orientalist painters
Painters from Amsterdam
19th-century Dutch male artists
20th-century Dutch male artists