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Johanna Elisabeth Repelius, known as Betsy (31 January 1848 in
@ Stamboom Wesseling. Against her father's wishes, she decided to become an artist and took her first lessons from the history painter
@ Huygens. Later, she studied with , who was known for his popular
Johanna Elisabeth Repelius, known as Betsy (31 January 1848 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
– 23 January 1921 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter and watercolorist
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
who specialized in simple, one-figure, genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
scenes.
Biography
She was the youngest of eight children born to a wealthy merchant family, engaged primarily in the cheese trade.Brief biography@ Stamboom Wesseling. Against her father's wishes, she decided to become an artist and took her first lessons from the history painter
Petrus Franciscus Greive
Petrus Franciscus Greive (25 March 1811 in Amsterdam – 4 November 1872 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter and lithographer.
Biography
He studied with Jean Augustin Daiwaille, Jan Willem Pieneman and Christiaan Julius Lodewijk Portman (1799– ...
.Brief biography@ Huygens. Later, she studied with , who was known for his popular
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
scenes. From 1873 to 1876, she was enrolled 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 ...
, where her primary instructor was 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 ...
. She also studied watercolor painting with Nicolaas van der Waay
Nicolaas van der Waay (1855–1936) was a Dutch decorative artist, watercolorist and lithographer. He worked in many genres, including stamp, coin and banknote designs. He is perhaps best known for the allegorical illustrations he created for the ...
, who also became close friend. In 1875, she became a member of Arti et Amicitiae
Arti et Amicitiae (lat .: For Art and Friendship) is a Dutch artist's society founded in 1839, and located on the Rokin in Amsterdam. The Society (also called Arti for short) has played a key role in the Netherlands art scene and in particular i ...
and, after 1878, was a regular participant in their exhibitions.
In 1889, thanks to her inherited wealth, she was able to build a home designed by the prominent architect, Joseph Cuypers
Josephus Theodorus Joannes Cuypers (10 June 1861, Roermond - 20 January 1949, Meerssen) was a Dutch architect; primarily known for his Catholic churches. Life and work
He was born to the architect, Pierre Cuypers, and his wife, Antoinette née ...
. It had a studio in the attic that might be described as an early loft and the family coat-of-arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...
was incorporated into the façade with tile panels. Later, she hired Piet Mondriaan
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (), after 1906 known as Piet Mondrian (, also , ; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), was a Dutch painter and art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being o ...
, then a young, aspiring artist, to paint allegorical scenes and putti
A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...
on the ceiling. She would often invite people in off the street to pose for her. It is notable that, in most of her works, the figures are looking down or off to the side.
She remained unmarried, but had a wide circle of close artistic friends that included Thérèse Schwartze
Thérèse Schwartze (20 December 185123 December 1918) was a Dutch people, Dutch portrait Painting, painter.
Life
Thérèse Schwartze was born on 20 December 1851 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She was the daughter of the painter Johan Georg ...
and Lizzy Ansingh
Maria Elisabeth Georgina Ansingh (13 March 1875 – 14 December 1959) was a Dutch painter.
Ansingh belonged to a group of female post-impressionist painters influenced by the Amsterdam Impressionism movement called the ''Amsterdamse Joffers''. S ...
.
Because of her wealth, she was sometimes criticized as being a mere dilettante
Dilettante or dilettantes may refer to:
* An amateur, someone with a non-professional interest
* A layperson, the opposite of an expert
* ''Dilettante'' (album), a 2005 album by Ali Project
* ''Dilettantes'' (album), a 2008 album by You Am I
* D ...
. She donated to charity quite freely, especially to organizations for the blind. In her will, she left significant amounts to all her friends. The flower painter Marie Heineken
Marie Henriëtte Heineken (8 June 1844 – 1 March 1930) was a Dutch painter mainly known for flower still lifes. Her paintings are characterised as impressionist.
Biography
Marie Heineken was born on 8 June 1844 on the Korte Prinsengracht in ...
, niece of the brewer Gerard Adriaan Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Febr ...
, received the contents of her studio.
References
Further reading
* P. Gorter and M. Bax, "Vondelstraat 29. Betsy Repelius en haar opdrachten aan Joseph Cuypers en Piet Mondriaan", ''Jaarboek Amsterodamum'' (2006)External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Repelius, Betsy 1848 births 1921 deaths 19th-century Dutch painters 19th-century Dutch women artists Dutch genre painters Dutch watercolourists Painters from Amsterdam Women watercolorists