The Dutch Funeral - Petrus van der Velden - Christchurch Art Gallery

T h e D u tch Fu n e ral is a 19th century romantic realist w ork of
the Dutc h Sc hool o f painters in The Hague. Petrus van der
Velden was an ass ociate of the Sc hool whose members w ere
concerned to por tray the harsh conditions of the Dutch
w orking class of the 19th century with a naturalism and
objectivity whic h captured the harshness and drama of their
simple
lives.
Va n d e r Ve l d e n i s t h o u g h t t o h a v e b e e n i n s p i re d b y a n a c t u a l
d r o w n i n g of a M a r k e n f i s h e r m a n t h a t o c c u r r e d d u r i n g o n e of
h i s v i s i t s t o t h e I s l a n d . H e h a s t r e a t e d t h e hu m b l e fa m i ly
f u n e ra l w i t h t h e s c a l e a n d fo c u s p a i n t e r s p re v i o u s l y re s e r v e d
f o r g ra n d e v e n t s . T h e c o m p o s i t i o n fo c u s e s o n t h e g ri e v i n g
w i d o w wh o m Va n d e r Ve l d e n h a s p l a c e d a t t h e c e n t r e o f t h e
c o m p o s i t i o n . H e r b o w e d b a c k i s c a r e f u l l y re f l e c t e d i n t h e
p o s e o f t h e m o u r n e rs .
The figures in dark clothes move through an inhospitable
snow-co vered landscape and Van der Velden has confined his
colours to the narrow tonal range favoured by The Hague
Sc hool. Using s ome very subtle colour modifications, he
defines the details o f their costumes within the very limited
p a l e t t e . T h e s t ro n g c o n t ra s t of b l a c k a n d wh i t e a d d s t o t h e
human drama emphasised by the huddled figures. They are
positioned in the landscape at s ome distance from the
comfor t of their village and there is a masterly understanding
Worcester Boulevard, PO Box 2626, Christchurch, New Zealand
of gesture, expression, and the use of the cold winter 's light .
Va n d e r Ve l d e n h a d b e e n i m p r e s s e d w i t h a v e r y s u c c e s s f u l
s e r i e s o f w o r k s t h e l e a d e r o f T h e H a g u e S c h o o l , J o s e f
I s r a e l s ( 1 8 2 4 - 1 9 1 1 ) , h a d m a d e o f t h e s m a l l f i s h i n g
v i l l a g e o f Z a n v o o r t . T h i s i n c l u d e d t h e p a i n t i n g D r o w n e d
F i s h e r m a n ( 1 8 6 0 ) , e x h i b i t e d i n P a r i s i n 1 8 6 1 a n d L o n d o n
i n 1 8 6 2 . E n c o u r a g e d b y I s r a e l s , Va n d e r Ve l d e n u s e d a
K i n g ' s p e n s i o n ( g r a n t ) i n 1 8 7 1 t o 1 8 7 3 t o s t u d y a n d p a i n t
t h e l i v e s o f t h e f i s h i n g v i l l a g e r s o n t h e i s l a n d o f M a r k e n i n
t h e Z u y d e r Z e e . W h e n i t w a s f i r s t e x h i b i t e d T h e D u t c h
Fu n e r a l s o i m p r e s s e d I s r a e l s t h a t h e g a v e Va n d e r Ve l d e n a
p e r s o n a l m e d a l l i o n . T h e p a i n t i n g w a s p u r c h a s e d i n
H o l l a n d b y G e r r i t v a n A s c h w h o , i n 1 8 9 0 , s p o n s o r e d Va n
d e r Ve l d e n a n d h i s f a m i l y t o N e w Z e a l a n d .
The funeral , or death scene, was a popular romantic subject
among realist painters not only in the Netherlands in the latter
par t of the 19th century, but als o in Britain, France and
Germany. Europe at this time had suffered a succession of wars
inspiring many calamitous images for illustrators and painters.
Major paintings around this time whic h dealt with dramatic
themes relating to death include Goya's Shipwreck (1793),
Friedric h's Wreck of the Hope (1824), Turner 's Shipwreck (1805)
and Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa (1818/1819) wh i c h had
all por trayed the drama of death at sea.
The images on this page are protected by copyright and must not be reproduced
without the written permission of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.
Petrus van der Velden
www.c hristc hurchar tgallery.org .nz Phone (03) 941 7300
Dutch / New Zealander, 1837-1913
The Dutch Funeral
1872, oil on canvas, 121.5x247.0 cm
Gifted by H.C .D. van Asch 1932
About the work

Van der Velden was born in Rotterdam 5 May 1837. Around
1851 he began an apprenticeship as a lithographer and in
1858 founded the lithographic firm of Zijderman /Van der
Velden in Rotterdam. How ever, the business closed in 1867
and Van der Velden began to paint marine subjects. The
fo l l o w i n g y e a r h e re gi s t e re d a t t h e Ro t t e rd a m Ac a d e my of A r t ,
then in 1869 re gistered at the Academy, Berlin. In 1876 Va n
der Velden married his wife, Sophia. Some years later, in 1890,
t h ey e m i g ra t e d t o C h ri s t c hurc h , N e w Ze a l a n d , a s g u e s t s of
Gerrit va n Asc h and his wife who lived at Sumner. In 1891 he
began the series based on the Otira Gorge re gion for whic h he
is s o w ell known in Ne w Zealand. Van der Velden lived in
Sydney from 1898 until early 1904, when he returned to Ne w
Zealand, settling in Wellington. He died in Au c kland, 11
November 1913.
T h e D u tch Fu n e ral comes from a series whic h follow ed a visit
Van der Velden made in 1871 to the island of Marken, in the
Zuyder Ze e , Holland. Prior to this he wa s a marine painter and
the Marken series represents a shift towards genre painting .
The series, of whic h T h e D u tch Fu n e ral i s a ke y w o r k , wa s a
m a j o r s e ri e s i n Va n d e r Ve l d e n' s c a re e r.
In 1883 Vincent Van G ogh, who had been attracted to The
Hague Sc hool of painters because o f the naturalism and
objective reality in their w orks, met Van der Velden. He
subsequently wrote to his brother, Theo, " Van der Weele has
come to see me again. Perhaps he will bring me into contact
with Piet van der Velden, whom I think you will know from his
figures o f peasants and fishermen. Once I met Van der Velden
and he made a very good impression - there is s omething
broad and rough in him, whic h appeals to me very mu c h…. A
man who apparently doesn' t seek culture in outward things,
b u t wh o i s i n wa rd ly mu c h , v e r y mu c h f u r t h e r t h a n m o s t . We l l
he's a real ar tist and I wish I kne w him for I have confidence in
him, and I know for sure that I should learn from him." (Va n
d e r Veld e n , T. L . Rodney Wils on, A .H. & A .W. Reed, 1976, p. 26.)
Worcester Boulevard, PO Box 2626, Christchurch, New Zealand
There are 195 works by the ar tist in the Collection, including :
The images on this page are protected by copyright and must not be reproduced
without the written permission of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.
Petrus van der Velden
www.c hristc hurchar tgallery.org .nz Phone (03) 941 7300
Dutch / New Zealander, 1837-1913
About the artist
Other works by the artist in the Collection
Mountain stream Otira Gorge
c .1893, oil on canvas
Collection Christchurch Art Gallery Trust
The Satara Player
1894, oil on canvas
Miss Majorie Bassett Bequest 1964
Self Portrait with Otira Background
1913, charcoal
Bequeathed by Miss D.C . Bates 1983
Further reading
Petrus van der Velden, T.L
. Rodney Wilson, Chancery Chambers,
Sydney, 1979.
Van der Velden, T.L
. Rodney Wilson, A .H. & A .W. Reed, Wellington, 1976.
'The Island of Marken', E. Verhaeren, The Magazine of Art, 1896,
pp.413-417.