Johannes Josephus Aarts
Renewed Dutch graphic arts with social themes
Johannes Josephus Aarts was a Dutch painter, illustrator, lithographer, engraver, etcher, writer, academic teacher and director, lecturer, sculptor and book-cover designer. Jan Aarts received training in the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. He was active there until 1911, and in Amsterdam from 1911 to 1934. Initially, until around 1900, Aarts worked above all on engravings. Thereafter he began to also use other graphic methods. In his work, one found depictions of farmworkers, dyke workers and later also tramps, beggars and invalids. Between 1920 and 1930 he produced mostly visionary work with apocalyptic scenes. Aarts often wrote for the Hague newspaper Het Vaderland; he taught at the Arts Academy in The Hague, and later was professor at the Royal Academy in Amsterdam, as successor to Pieter Dupont [nl]; he produced sculptures as preliminary studies for his graphic work. He thereby contributed to the renewal of various graphic techniques in the Netherlands. He painted portraits, animals and landscapes, including cityscapes and dune-landscapes.
Relationship Network
Master student
- Andreas Schelfhout Master
- Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove Master
Artworks by this artist (310 total)
- Oedipoes en de sfinx
- Schetsboekkatern met verschillende compositiestudies 3
- Drie arbeiders dragen een balk
- Schetsboekkatern met verschillende compositiestudies 4
- St Martin and the beggar
- Vrouwenfiguren met man op rug van vogel 2
- Christus en de Samaritaanse vrouw 1881-1934
- Door het water wadende man met skelet op de rug
- Two bank construction workers
- Centaur abducting a woman
- Overval
- The angel appearing to the shepherds
- Vrouw volgt lopende gnoom met kaars
- Dodendans
- Mannen en vrouwen in kroeg
- Portret van Multatuli
- Vier dijkwerkers
- A group of beggars
- Onderste helft van een centaur
- Zeven vrouwen op straat