Jacob Coenraad Ritsema (10 June 1869, Haarlem - 15 December 1943, Laren) was a Dutch landscape, portrait and

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 ...

painter; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule and the Haagse School.

Biography

He was the eldest of four children born to Coenraad Ritsema (1834–1916), a printer who had trained as a

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone ( lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

in Düsseldorf, and his wife, Jeanette, née Moulijn, originally from

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. His brother, Johan, was sent to Paris to be a lithographer's apprentice, while he went to Düsseldorf at the age of fifteen, to enroll at the Kunstakademie. He was there from 1884 to 1887. His primary instructors were Heinrich Lauenstein, Hugo Crola, Johann Peter Theodor Janssen and

Adolf Schill Adolf Schill, often also ''Adolph Schill'' (14 May 1848 – 10 November 1911), was a German architect, interior designer, artisan, illustrator and painter of the historism. As a university lecturer he worked at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf betwe ...

Bettina Baumgärtel Bettina Baumgärtel (born 1957) is a German art historian who is head of the painting collection of the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. She is a leading authority on the art of Angelica Kauffman and founded the Angelika Kauffmann Research Proj ...

(Ed.): ''Die Düsseldorfer Malerschule und ihre internationale Ausstrahlung 1819–1918''. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2011, , Vol.1, pg.438 After completing his courses, he went to

Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is ...

to study with Paul Gabriël, his father's childhood friend, who took him into his family. While there, he met his future wife, Alijda van den Broeck, the daughter of a baker from

Kortenhoef Kortenhoef is a village in North Holland, Netherlands with a population of about 6,780. It is an important part of the municipality of Wijdemeren, and lies about 5 km northwest of Hilversum. Kortenhoef was a separate municipality until 196 ...

. When he left, he lived in several locations, until 1900, when he opened a studio in Haarlem. After winning 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 ...

in 1911, he married Alidja. They had a son and a daughter, and lived in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

until 1922. He took some students and was a member of numerous artists' organizations, such as the and

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 ...

, in Amsterdam, as well as the Haagse Kunstkring and the

Pulchri Studio Pulchri Studio (Latin:"For the study of beauty") is a Dutch art society, art institution and art studio based in The Hague ('s-Gravenhage), Netherlands. This institute began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg. Since 1893 the c ...

. In 1938, he and Alidja moved to Laren. She died later that same year. He died suddenly, after returning from a painting expedition, five years later. Ritsema, Weerspiegeling

Landscapes comprise most of his work, although he also created portraits and

still-life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, book ...

s. Queen Wilhelmina bought two of his landscapes; currently on display at

Soestdijk Palace Soestdijk Palace ( nl, Paleis Soestdijk ) is a palace formerly belonging to the Dutch Royal Family. It consists of a central block and two wings. Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the municipality of Soest, the ...

. His works may also be seen at the

Kunstmuseum Den Haag The Kunstmuseum Den Haag is an art museum in The Hague in the Netherlands, founded in 1866 as the Museum voor Moderne Kunst. Later, until 1998, it was known as Haags Gemeentemuseum, and until the end of September 2019 as Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. I ...

and the

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

. His sister,

Coba Coba ( es, Cobá) is an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Maya world, and it contains many engraved and sculp ...

, became a famous portrait painter.

References

External links

Heleen de Jonge-de Leur: "Een Amsterdamse Joffer en haar broer. Jacob en Coba Ritsema"
a biography @ Mesdagvancalcar

a biography @ Mesdagvancalcar
More works Ritsema
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritsema, Jacob 1869 births 1943 deaths Dutch painters Dutch landscape painters Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Artists from Haarlem

Biography

References

Further reading

External links