Life and Work of Jaap Schreurs (1913-1983) Painter and father |
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0.1 Overview and access to all Periods |
school class picture with Jaap in the middle 1925, cutout
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1st period
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Jaap was born in 1913 in The Hague as the seventh child of a blended Catholic and artistic family. Already in his younger years, it was apparent that he, too, had artistic talent...
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the studio - painter unknown |
2nd period
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Together with six fellow students, Jaap rented a studio space in The Hague. Here they had lessons from the Hungarian painter Ference Erdely.
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3rd period
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To escape the ‘Arbeitseinsatz’ (forced labor under German rule in WW II), Jaap went into hiding together with his friend Willem van Beekum. There he met Eva Dekker. They married in 1944.
portrait of Eva, oil on canvas 90x64cm ± 1943
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self-portrait Willem van Beekum ± 1943
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4th period
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After the war, Jaap hoped to receive portrait commissions in order to make a living. But in those post-war years, the Netherlands was focused on its reconstruction efforts and the purchase of paintings was not a priority. Still, his work was noticed by art lovers and he was invited to exhibit his work in the Hofwijck mansion on the river The Vliet in Voorburg.
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portrait of a young woman
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preliminary study for Priest Choir ± 1961
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5th period
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Already during the period in which he painted his series of portraits, a change in style became apparent. From a classical expression mode and painting technique with a dark, subdued color palette, it transitioned into firmer-lined figures and lighter, cooler colors.
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6th periode
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During this period, Jaap married for the second time. In the run-up to this, another style shift took place: After the cool colors and stylized figures, he switched to warmer colors and emotional closeness. In the years that followed, it was particularly this emotional aspect that would be magnified with great intensity.
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Tête à tête 139x122cm ± 1963
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concentration in the backyard 1981
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7th period
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Apart from the concerns we had about his health, we also saw him enjoying the relaxing holidays with his new girlfriend, Marja, and a trip with her to Paris. In the meantime, he continued to work almost daily.
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Horse head with human eyes behind fence ±1979 - etching
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1983
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Jaap died unexpectedly of a cardiac arrest on February 16, 1983, late in the evening. The next morning we found him with ‘Krishnamurti’s Journal’ open on his lap and the cat purring on the still lukewarm water bottle at his feet.
After his death, his work was catalogued and framed as best as possible, after which it found its way to heirs and others.
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last Selfportrait 47x60cm ± 1979 |
Closing words
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From the year 2000, his daughters, Nelleke and Paula, have steadily worked on an overview of Jaap's work. To this end, they both wrote down their memories and interviewed people who had known Jaap in the past. They also made an inventory of the works in the possession of family and friends in order to be presented here.
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by Nelleke and Paula |
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