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Pictura Veluvensis:
An insight into early 20th-century impressionism
TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS: NOORD-VELUWS MUSEUM
In 1900, the cities of Renkum and Nunspeet
at the edge of the Veluwe National Park,
were flourishing artist colonies and, in 1902,
the artists created their own society: Pictura
Veluvensis. A decade later, the society held
its first exhibition outside the colony. Over a
century later, the Noord-Veluws Museum is
now recreating this impressive display of art.
The exposition is based on the original catalogue
of the 1913 display. Over 100 paintings,
drawings and etchings, created by more than 50
artists such as Charles Dankmeijer, Hendrikus
van Ingen and Xeno Münninghoff, are shown
together again. It mainly shows landscapes, but
there are also portraits and still-life paintings.
The display gives a great insight into the year
1913 – a special year in painting and the start
of artists experimenting with impressionism.
Some artists painted crockery, made sculptures
Jan van Vuuren Schaapskooi te Vierhouten
Oil on canvas.
Charles Dankmeijer, Huisje op de Noordberg,
Oil on canvas.
from plaster or illustrated children’s books.
Also, a number of sketchbooks that show
what painters became fascinated with during
their wanderings on the Veluwe are part of the
exhibition. Highlights of the exhibition include a
painting by Anton Smeerdijk in pointillist style
and a symbolist work by Louise Blommestein.
The Noord-Veluws Museum is organising
the exhibition in cooperation with Museum
Veluwezoom, to honour their respective fifth and
25th anniversaries. Both expositions are a tribute
to the painters working on the Veluwe, expressing
their vision of this majestic nature reserve.
Pictura Veluvensis can be visited until 15
March 2020 at the Noord-Veluws Museum, and
until 26 January 2020 at Museum Veluwezoom.
Web: www.noord-veluws-museum.nl
and www.museumveluwezoom.nl