Jan Toorop

Place: Purworejo

Born: 1858

Death: 1928

Biography:

Jan Toorop was a Dutch painter who worked in various styles, including Symbolsim, Art Nouveau, and Pointillism. His early work was influenced by the Amsterdam Impressionism movement. He was born in Purworejo, Indonesia, in 1858 and died in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1928.

Early Life and Education

Toorop was born on December 20, 1858, in Purworejo, Indonesia. His father was Christoffel Theodorus Toorop, a civil servant, and his mother was Maria Magdalena Cooke. He was the third of five children and lived on the island of Bangka near Sumatra until he was nine years old. He was then sent to school in Batavia on Java. In 1869, he left Indonesia for the Netherlands, where he studied in Delft and Amsterdam. In 1880, he became a student at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. He met the Belgian painter William Degouve de Nuncques in 1883, and the two shared a studio for a time and developed a strong friendship.

Artistic Style and Influences

Toorop worked in various styles during his career, including Realism, Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. He was influenced by the Amsterdam Impressionism movement and later developed his unique Symbolist style, with dynamic, unpredictable lines based on Javanese motifs, highly stylised willowy figures, and curvilinear designs. Some of his notable works include The three brides, a captivating charcoal drawing that embodies the essence of Symbolism. This piece is housed at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.

Later Life and Work

After his marriage to Annie Hall, a British woman, in 1886, Toorop alternated his time between The Hague, England, and Brussels. He developed his unique Symbolist style, with dynamic, unpredictable lines based on Javanese motifs, highly stylised willowy figures, and curvilinear designs. Toorop also produced portraits, in sketch format and as paintings, which range in style from highly realistic to impressionistic. He converted to Catholicism in 1905 and began producing religious works. He also created book illustrations, posters, and stained glass designs.

• Some of his notable works can be found at https://Wikioo.org/@/Jan-Toorop
• More information about Toorop's life and work can be found on https://Wikioo.org/Art.nsf/Art_EN?Open&Query=jan+toorop,jan,toorop
• His biography is also available on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Toorop

Toorop died on March 3, 1928, in The Hague. His daughter Charley Toorop (1891-1955) was also a painter, as was his grandson Edgar Fernhout. Some of his works can be found at the Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle, Netherlands, and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.