Adrianus Johannes Zwart
1903 - 1981
Zwart, known as ‘Arie’ was born in Rijswijk on 30th August, 1903. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague during 1918 and 1919 and he was a pupil of Otto Gustav Adolf Kriens (1873-1930) and also Louis Soonius (1883-1956). Until 1926 he worked as a graphic designer before giving this up to concentrate on painting. In his early work he painted in accordance with the Hague School, depicting landscapes of the Netherlands, still life and interiors in a naturalistic and impressionistic style.The artist was a rather itinerant character, travelling throughout the Netherlands firstly by car capturing in paint the traditional life and landscape he saw there. In 1936 Arie had a houseboat made in which he lived, travelling the waterways of Holland and painting scenes in Zaltbommel, Meppel, and Giethoorn to mention but a few. After 1949 Zwart travelled to foreign countries such as the South of France and Spain, Portugal and Tunisia. The light of the Mediterranean had a big influence of the artist’s palette which can be particularly seen in his pictures of Ibiza and Mallorca which are full of light and colour.
The artist died in Laren on 27th August, 1981.