![Jan Verkade 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Jan_Verkade_1912.jpg)
Johannes Sixtus Gerhardus (Jan) Verkade (18 September 1868 - 19 July 1946), afterwards Willibrord Verkade O.S.B., was a Dutch
Post-Impressionist and Christian
Symbolist painter. A disciple of
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...
and friend of
Paul Sérusier
Paul Sérusier (9 November 1864 – 7 October 1927) was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism.
Education
Sérusier was born in Paris. He studied ...
, he belonged to the circle of artists known as '
Les Nabis.' Of a Dutch
anabaptist background, his artistic and spiritual journey led him to convert to
Roman Catholicism, and to take Holy Orders as a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk, taking the religious name
Willibrord
Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg.
Early life
His fath ...
. He entered the
Archabbey of Beuron
Beuron Archabbey (in German Erzabtei Beuron, otherwise Erzabtei St. Martin; in Latin ''Archiabbatia Sancti Martini Beuronensis''; Swabian: ''Erzabtei Beira'') is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube valle ...
and continued his work in a religious context, working closely with
Desiderius Lenz
Peter Lenz (1832–1928), afterwards Desiderius Lenz, was a German artist who became a Benedictine monk. Together with Gabriel Wüger, he founded the Beuron Art School.
Background
Peter Lenz was born in 1832 in Haigerloch, Baden-Württemberg. ...
, leader of the
Beuron Art School
The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late 19th century.''The Revival of Medieval Illumination: Nineteenth-Century Belgium Manuscripts and Illuminations from a European Perspective'' by Thomas C ...
. He worked throughout Europe and had an important influence on the continuing development of the new Benedictine Art.
Young life
Jan
Verkade
Royal Verkade (Dutch: Koninklijke Verkade) is a Dutch manufacturing company, owned by a Turkish conglomerate. The company is headquartered in Zaandam and was one of the oldest existing family companies in the Netherlands. In November 2014 the comp ...
was born one of twins in
Zaandam
Zaandam () is a city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam.
The statistical district Zaand ...
, the son of
Ericus Verkade
Ericus Gerhardus Verkade (20 November 1835 – 8 February 1907) was a Dutch businessman and the founder of the Verkade manufacturing company in 1886.
Biography
Ericus Gerhardus Verkade was born on 20 November 1835 in Vlaardingen in the Netherl ...
, founder of a well-known
baker's confectionery business. His father belonged to the
Mennonite
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...
sect, a religious group which regarded Catholicism with hostility. In 1877 the family moved to Amsterdam, and the twins were sent to a religious boarding school in
Oisterwijk
Oisterwijk () is a municipality and a city in the south of the Netherlands.
Population centres
* Haaren
* Heukelom
* Moergestel
*Oisterwijk
Topography
''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Oisterwijk, 2021''
Transportation
* Railwa ...
where they were considered slow. From 1883 they attended the Handelsschule in Amsterdam. Throughout childhood they were always close companions.
A family visit to
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese o ...
and
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
, at the
Porta Nigra, awakened Verkade's artistic passion for the Primitive and Classical. Jan took every opportunity to study and draw in the galleries of the
Rijksmuseum, and often skipped school to sketch at the
Zoological Gardens. He resisted expectations to join the family business and to be confirmed as Mennonite, and his father accepted Jan's decision to study at the Amsterdam
State Academy of Fine Arts. His twin brother was sent to England for business training, after which they led separate lives.
He found two and a half years' study at the Rijksakademie, 1887–1889, technical but without spirit: seeking an artistic voice for his awakening religious sentiments in an age which glorified technology and city life, he courted rural solitude. He lived in
Hattem
Hattem () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . The municipality includes the hamlet of 't Zand.
Name origin
The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “H ...
for two years where, disappointed by much contemporary literature, he began to find answers in
Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's ''
A Confession
''A Confession'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Исповедь, Íspovedʹ), or ''My Confession'', is a short work on the subject of melancholia, philosophy and religion by the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. It was written in 1879 to ...
'',
Huysmans's ''
A Rebours
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...
'', and the works of
Baudelaire and
Verlaine
Verlaine (; wa, Verlinne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density
Population d ...
.
Paris
Verkade moved to Paris in February 1891, where
Meijer de Haan
Meijer Isaac de Haan (Amsterdam, April 14, 1852 – Amsterdam, October 24, 1895) was a Dutch painter. In French the name was written Meyer de Haan.
Biography
He was born into a successful Jewish family of bread and matzo bakers who held to conse ...
introduced him to
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...
. His stay in Paris was short but very intense. The Symbolist revolt against Naturalism and Realism was then at work, and at the Café Voltaire he met literary Symbolists surrounding the figure of
Jean Moréas
Jean Moréas (; born Ioannis A. Papadiamantopoulos, Ιωάννης Α. Παπαδιαμαντόπουλος; 15 April 1856 – 31 March 1910), was a Greek poet, essayist, and art critic, who wrote mostly in the French language but also in Greek ...
, including the critic
Charles Morice
Charles John Morice (27 May 1850 – 17 June 1932) was an English footballer who played for England as a forward in the first international match against Scotland.
Early life and education
Morice was born in London, the son of Sophia (née L ...
,
Albert Aurier,
Julien Leclercq and the poet Adolphe Retté. Paul Verlaine occasionally appeared.
Jan sought out
Paul Sérusier
Paul Sérusier (9 November 1864 – 7 October 1927) was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism.
Education
Sérusier was born in Paris. He studied ...
, Gauguin's pupil and disciple, and painted with him in his studio. He produced a group of still lifes based upon Gauguin's principles, on which Gauguin gave him advice and opened his thought. He explained to Verkade that aesthetic understanding must imbue the representation of Nature, that art-work must be both a material and a spiritual birth. Verkade saw this as an insight into the divine Creation. Sérusier and de Haan brought him among '
Les Nabis' (i.e. 'The Prophets'), especially those who met at
Paul Ranson
Paul-Élie Ranson (29 March 1861 – 20 February 1909) was a French painter and writer associated with Les Nabis.
Biography
He was born in Limoges. His mother died in childbirth, so he was raised and educated by his grandparents and his ...
's studio, including
Maurice Denis
Maurice Denis (; 25 November 1870 – 13 November 1943) was a French painter, decorative artist, and writer. An important figure in the transitional period between impressionism and modern art, he is associated with ''Les Nabis'', symbolism, a ...
,
Édouard Vuillard
Jean-Édouard Vuillard (; 11 November 186821 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, he was a prominent member of the Nabis, making paintings which assembled areas of pure color, and interior sc ...
and his friend
Pierre Bonnard, and
Ker-Xavier Roussel
Ker-Xavier Roussel (10 December 1867 – 6 June 1944) was a French painter associated with Les Nabis.
Biography
Born François Xavier Roussel in Lorry-lès-Metz, Moselle in 1867, at age fifteen he studied at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris; al ...
, and Ranson dubbed him 'le nabi obéliscal.'
Ranson and Sérusier followed a form of orientalized
Theosophy
Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...
, and Verkade was exposed to the resurgent
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
mysticism, interest in the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...
and magic arts, which the Symbolists absorbed. He drew much from it, but adhered to Christian beliefs. He later acknowledged
Jørgensen's view that the Symbolist movement had inherited social preoccupations emerging into the void created between loss of belief in the Christian miraculous, and the spiritual bankruptcy of material science.
Brittany and Verkade's conversion
At the time of Gauguin's departure for
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...
, April 1891, Verkade met
Mogens Ballin
Mogens Ballin (20 March 1871, Copenhagen – 27 January 1914, Hellerup)
was a Danish artist, one of a group of painters who gathered in the Breton village of Pont-Aven School, Pont-Aven. He later became a notable silversmith designing jewelry and ...
, who joined Verkade and Sérusier in a sojourn in Brittany, where Paul had worked at
Pont-Aven
Pont-Aven (, Breton: 'River Bridge') is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 2,821.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called ''Pontavenistes'' in French ...
in the preceding years. Responding to the landscape and the embedded religious customs of the country people, and urged on by Sérusier's spiritual expositions, Verkade's religious feelings grew. At
Huelgoat
Huelgoat (; meaning "High Forest") is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Huelgoat are called in French ''Huelgoatains''.
Geography
Huelgoat is popular with tourists and holida ...
he became withdrawn and meditative, attending Mass for the first time. After some time at
Le Pouldu, he went home to Amsterdam for four months, immersed in
Balzac's ''
Seraphita'', and first read through the
Credo
In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical sett ...
while listening to
Bach's ''
Mass in B Minor''. Sérusier visited, and they returned to Paris together.
Verkade exhibited with the Nabis in the 'Indépendents' Exhibition of March 1892. Nabi gatherings at Ranson's studio continued, but he soon returned to
Saint-Nolff, armed with a Bible, a
Catechism,
Edouard Schuré's ''Les Grands Initiés'' (at Sérusier's recommendation) and the ''
Confessions of St Augustine.'' Resuming work, he read Schuré thoroughly and realised its insufficiency for him. At Saint-Nolff he and Ballin grew towards Catholicism together: Verkade took formal instruction and was baptized at
Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...
.
Italy
Verkade and Ballin next travelled to Italy, staying first in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, and visiting
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
,
Pisa and
Pistoia. Deeply attracted by the life of the
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
monastery at
Fiesole
Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times.
Sin ...
, and by the Franciscan ideal, Ballin was baptized (as 'Francesco') there, and they sought a period of residency. They were directed to Rome to seek assent, where they saw much and fell under the City's spell. Returning north by way of
Assisi they awaited permission from the
Provincial. Sérusier was then in Florence, and was surprised by, but not unappreciative of their conversion. Suddenly Ballin was recalled to Denmark for military service, and in May 1893 Verkade undertook his months of retreat at Fiesole alone. He found deep refreshment in the monastic life, peace in the order of holy service, and simplicity of heart and faith among the residents. While there he painted two murals, including one of
St Francis, and heard warm reports of the artist-monks of
Beuron
Beuron (Swabian: ''Beira'') is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Beuron is known for the Beuron Archabbey and the Beuron Art School for religious art.
Geography
Beuron is divided into subdistricts ( ...
.
To Beuron
![St-martin-beuron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/St-martin-beuron.jpg)
In November, intending to revisit his family, he went first to Beuron and stayed for some time, seeing the Maurus Chapel and meeting
Desiderius Lenz
Peter Lenz (1832–1928), afterwards Desiderius Lenz, was a German artist who became a Benedictine monk. Together with Gabriel Wüger, he founded the Beuron Art School.
Background
Peter Lenz was born in 1832 in Haigerloch, Baden-Württemberg. ...
. The Abbey was now in its second phase, following its closure between 1875 and 1887 during the ''
Kulturkampf''. Adjusting to Benedictine customs, Verkade was transported by the
Gregorian music of the Mass, and deeply impressed by the evolution of the Beuron artwork, which was diverging from modern art, the volumes being increasingly subordinated to the stylistic elements of the
Cornelius and
Kaulbach schools. In the Benedictine life grounded in the
liturgy, at once earnest and joyful, reserved and meditative, steady and versatile, for Verkade spirit, intellect and heart all had their celebration, and all arts served their true ends.
After visiting home, where he found acceptance, and having spent some time with Ballin in Copenhagen (where an exhibition of his work was mounted), he returned to Beuron. Understanding the decision before him he laid aside his private career and in 1894 was received as an
oblate into the community.
[Verkade, ''Die Unruhe zu Gott '' (1930), pp. 221-247.] So began the fruition of his work in the
Beuron Art School
The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late 19th century.''The Revival of Medieval Illumination: Nineteenth-Century Belgium Manuscripts and Illuminations from a European Perspective'' by Thomas C ...
.
Writings
![Rudolf Heinisch, Malermönch Jan Verkade, o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Rudolf_Heinisch%2C_Malerm%C3%B6nch_Jan_Verkade%2C_o.J.%2C_%C3%96l_auf_Leinwand.jpg)
* Verkade, Willibrord (Ed.): ''Des
Cennino Cennini
Cennino d'Andrea Cennini (c. 1360 – before 1427) was an Italian painter influenced by Giotto. He was a student of Agnolo Gaddi in Florence. Gaddi trained under his father, called Taddeo Gaddi, who trained with Giotto.
Cennini was born in ...
Handbüchlein der Kunst. Neuübersetzt und herausgegeben.'' (Heitz und Mundel, Strasbourg 1916).
* Verkade, Willibrord: ''Die Unruhe zu Gott. Erinnerungen eines Malermönchs'' (Herder & Co., Freiburg im Breisgau 1920). 5th Edition (32-37th thousand), Imprimatur 1929, Published 1930. (German). In French as ''Le Tourment de Dieu: Étapes d'un Moine Peintre'' (translation by Marguerite Faure), (L. Rouart & J. Waterlin, Paris 1923). In English as ''Die Unruhe zu Gott: Yesterdays of an Artist-Monk'' (translation by J.L. Stoddard) (P.J. Kenedy & Sons, New York 1930). By 1930 there were also published translations into Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian.
* Verkade, Willibrord (Ed.), ''
Jan van Ruysbroeck'' (Translations from Old Flemish into New High German)
::''Jan van Ruysbroeck'' 1. ''Die Zierde der geistlichen Hochzeit''
he Spiritual Espousals(Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, Mainz - Hermann Rauch, Wiesbaden 1922).
::''Jan van Ruysbroeck'' 2. ''Aus den Buch von den zwolf Berghinen''
rom the Book of the Twelve Beguines(Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, Mainz - Hermann Rauch, Wiesbaden 1923).
::''Jan van Ruysbroeck'' 3. ''Das Reich der Geliebten''
ingdom of the Divine Lovers(Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, Mainz - Hermann Rauch, Wiesbaden 1924).
* Verkade, Willibrord: ''Der Antrieb ins Vollkommene. Erinnerungen eines Malermönchs'' (Herder & Co., Freiburg im Breisgau 1931). Sequel to ''Die Unruhe zu Gott''. ? As ''In Quest of Beauty'' (P.J. Kenedy & Sons, New York 1935).
* Verkade, Willibrord: ''Das Neue Gertrudenbuch, enthaltend St. Gertruds 'Geistliche Übungen' und Auszüge samt Gebeten aus dem 'Gesandten der göttlichen Liebe'.'' (Herder & Co., Freiburg im Breisgau 1936). (Reprinted by Freundeskreis Kloster Helfta e.V., o.J., Halle).
* Verkade, Willibrord: ''Spuren des Daseins. Erkentnisse des Malermönchs Willibrord Verkade OSB'' (Matthias-Grünewald-Verlag, Mainz 1938).
Verkade's portrait was painted by various other artists, including
Richard Roland Holst
Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst (4 December 1868, Amsterdam - 31 December 1938, Bloemendaal) was a Dutch painter, draftsman, lithographer, book cover designer, etcher and writer. Many of his works were in a modified Symbolist style.
Life and work ...
(1891) and
Rudolf Heinisch (1946).
Gallery
File:Jan Verkade, Selfportrait.jpg, Self-portrait (1891/94)
File:Herinnering, Jan Verkade.jpg, Herinnering (Remembering) (1891/92)
File:Decorative Landscape I (Jan Verkade) - Nationalmuseum - 19108.tif, Decorative Landscape I
File:Decorative Landscape II (Jan Verkade) - Nationalmuseum - 19109.tif, Decorative Landscape II
File:Verkader, La route vers.jpg, La route vers (1892)
File:Verkade, Pouldu.jpg, Pouldu (1892)
File:Verkade, Stilleven met appels.jpg, Still life with apples (c. 1891)
File:Paysanne de St. Nolff, Verkade.jpg, Peasant woman of St. Nolff (1892)
File:Verkade, Ghetsemani.jpg, Ghetsemani (1909-1913)
File:Verkade, St Sebastiaan.jpg, St. Sebastian (1892)
References
Resources
* Boyle-Turner, Caroline: Jan Verkade: Hollandse volgeling van Gauguin'', with contributions by Adolf Smitmans, J. A. van Beers and Tim Huisman, Waanders, Zwolle & Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh, Amsterdam (exh. 11 March - 21 May), 1989
* Frèches-Thory, Claire, & Perucchi-Petry, Ursula, ed.: ''Die Nabis: Propheten der Moderne'', Kunsthaus Zürich & Grand Palais, Paris & Prestel, Munich 1993 (German), (French)
* Hillert, Andreas: ''Anny Schröder: Leben und Werk einer Künstlerin zwischen Wiener Werkstätte, drittem Reich und Postmoderne'' (LIT Verlag, Münster 2014), 'Chapter IV: Anny Schröders Weg zurück zum christlichem Glauben: Begegnungen mit Pater Willibrord Verkade'
pp. 104-126
* Petraccaro-Goertsches, Jessica: 'Jan Verkade alias Pater Willibrord. Die Münchner Studienzeit eines Beuroner Künstlermönchs' in ''Stimmen der Zeit'' 140, Part 7 (2015), pp. 455–466.
* Smitmans, Jan: 'Pater Willibrord Jan Verkade OSB: Kunst, jenseits von Natur und Gesetz', in ''Erbe und Auftrag'' 75 (Kunstverlag, Beuron 1999).
External links
(Lengthy referenced article about Verkade and Beuronese Art at ''Letteratura artistica'' website). (English, Parts 1 & 2)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verkade, Jan
1868 births
1946 deaths
Les Nabis
People from Zaanstad
Pont-Aven painters
19th-century Dutch painters
Dutch male painters
20th-century Dutch painters
19th-century Dutch male artists
20th-century Dutch male artists