Otto Eerelman (23 March 1839, Groningen - 3 October 1926, Groningen) was a Dutch painter; best known for his depictions of dogs and horses. He was also a

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

and did several portraits of Wilhelmina, as Princess and Queen.

Biography

His father was sexton at

Der Aa-kerk The Aa-kerk (also: A-kerk) is a historic former parish church in the centre of Groningen, and a dominant feature in the skyline of the city together with the nearby Martinitoren. History Before the construction of the current church, a chapel ...

. He showed an early aptitude for art and, against the wishes of his parents, enrolled at the

Academie Minerva Academie Minerva is a Dutch art academy. The academy was founded in 1798 in Groningen as a school for arts, architecture, construction engineering, and seamanship.Dijk, F. van (1998) ''Leraren van de Academie Minerva. Een keuze uit twee eeuwen k ...

in 1860, where he studied with J.H. Egenberger.Brief biography
@ Kunstbus. After graduating, he spent another year at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp). Later, he took private lessons in the studios of

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

.Brief biography
by Martin Mulder @ Dodenakkers. After a brief stay in Paris, he returned to Groningen and worked as a teacher at the Academie from 1867 to 1874. He moved to Brussels that year to establish himself as a painter but, for unknown reasons, relocated to

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in 1875, where he lived until 1902. It was during this time that he served as a court painter and many of his works are still to be seen in

Het Loo Het Loo Palace ( nl, Paleis Het Loo , meaning "The Lea") is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, built by the House of Orange-Nassau. History The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was b ...

. In 1898, an illustrated album called ''Horse Races'' was published, containing 40 lithographs of Eerelman's paintings by Richard Schoenbeck (1840-1919). It featured Queen Wilhelmina's favorite horse, "Woyko", and proved to be very popular. Later, an annotated collection of his works was translated into English by

Clara Bell Clara Bell, née Poynter (1835–1927), was an English translator fluent in French, German, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, and Spanish,''The Illustrated American'': 22 November 1890, p.500''The Author: A Monthly Magazine for Literary ...

under the title ''Horses and Dogs''. His best known painting, "De paardenkeuring op de Grote Markt op de 28ste augustus", depicts an annual celebration (featuring horses) held to commemorate the lifting of the Siege of Groningen. For health reasons ("rheumatic neuralgia"), he spent five years in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

, then went back to Groningen in 1907. At the age of eighty, he was made a Ridder and a street in Groningen was named after him. It was said that one could tell when visitors to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

were from Groningen because they would ask "where are the Eerelmans?". He was, however, mostly forgotten by the second half of the 20th century. It is only recently that interest in his works has been revived. From April to August, 2015, a major retrospective was held at the Museum Nienoord in Leek.Eerelman exhibition
@ the Museum Nienoord website.

References

External links

Otto Eerelman website
Home page
Otto Eerelman
by Beno Hofman @ Groningen Archieven
Paintings made into lithographs and used as illustrations in "Paardenrassen"
@ Groningen Archieven
ArtNet: More works by Eerelman.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eerelman, Otto 1839 births 1926 deaths 19th-century Dutch painters Dutch male painters 20th-century Dutch painters Animal artists Painters from Groningen Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni 19th-century Dutch male artists 20th-century Dutch male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links