Antoon Derkzen van Angeren - Beautiful etching - Quay with bowsprit and steamboat - signed in pencil

• Antoon Derkzen van Angeren (1878-1961)

During his primary school years, however, he demonstrated an undeniable talent for drawing. After graduating, he joined De Porceleyne Fles, where he trained as a draftsman and decorator of Delftware. Evening classes further enhanced his general education. He also took lessons from L.J. Senf, the factory's artistic director, a renowned etcher and lithographer. Derkzen van Angeren's originality, imagination, and creativity encouraged him to explore other opportunities. He devoted himself entirely to drawing and painting, as well as to etching. This was an important decision, as he would later become famous as an etcher in the Dutch art world.

From the age of 23, etching techniques would be a recurring theme throughout Derkzen van Angeren's life. He acquired his own press and worked tirelessly on developing his skills as an etcher. He married Marie de Roo in 1902. They settled together in Den Hoorn, initially in a long-demolished house on the corner of Dijkshoornseweg and Hoornsekade. Later, his address became Dijkshoornseweg 32. The products that emerged from his press during this period soon demonstrated exceptional craftsmanship. He explored various techniques, creating portraits, still lifes, and a large number of landscapes. The atmosphere of Midden-Delfland was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for him. The constant variations of the horizon, the cloudy skies, and the unique lighting ensured he never tired of wandering around this area and taking notes. These notes were further developed at home, and the artist didn't rest until he had successfully transferred the special atmosphere he had perceived and experienced from the plate to paper. He experimented and developed new techniques himself, breathing new life into old, obsolete techniques. Easy compromises in his working method were not for him. All effort was irrelevant to him: only the result mattered.
This approach helped Derkzen van Angeren develop into a master of etching. His work is often compared, partly due to the controlled, restrained lines, to the etchings of Rembrandt or the work of Jongkind, who drew inspiration from similar surroundings. The Delft-Den Hoorn period lasted until 1907. From this early period, we mention several works on display at the Tram Station exhibition: the sawmill "The Crowned Salmon," "Farmhouse with Haystack and Willows on a Stream," "The Postman's Houses and Gardens," "Cows in the Meadow," and the impressive print "View of Delft." Viewing these images can sometimes be difficult to locate, as most are mirrored.

In 1907, Derkzen van Angeren lived for a time in Voorburg but soon moved to Rotterdam. This move was a success. He found a new source of inspiration there: the river landscape with ships and harbors, and expansive vistas dotted with windmills.
Here he became a prisoner of the ever-moving water. A kinship developed that would endure for the rest of his life. The river landscape inspired him again and again. It is astonishing how this artist, with just a few fine lines, could create an image and an atmosphere that feel utterly real. When viewing the harbor, you naturally see ships, but you also smell the salty scent of the water, mixed with the smell of oil and tar. Derkzen van Angeren's name became increasingly popular, and in 1917 he was asked to become a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. His assignment included a new subject on the curriculum: teaching etching.
Harbor view
In his work, Van Angeren was a perfectionist. He set extremely high standards for himself in every aspect of his artistic practice and was rarely satisfied with the results. He also didn't make things easy for himself as a teacher. His development and versatility as a graphic artist served him exceptionally well. He became the driving force, the inspiring factor in the flourishing of graphic art in Rotterdam. His approach was very direct and his theoretical approach very clear. This often led to heated discussions. He vigorously defended what he considered right, while always remaining honest. His approach to teaching was sometimes questioned by other teachers. He was an opponent of schoolishness and sterile imitation, and this brought him into conflict with his colleagues at the Academy. In Van Angeren's classroom, one found an atmosphere reminiscent of a Golden Age workshop, where master and students practiced art together. One of his students later said of him: "Derkzen van Angeren was exceptionally sensitive to authenticity and possessed a versatile discernment of originality and quality." This institution afforded his students a certain freedom of work, which was unusual at the Academy at the time. As a result, artists could develop without losing their personal originality. Van Angeren taught at the Academy until his retirement in 1943. Numerous students benefited from his versatile expertise, including Mette Koomstra, Wout van Heusden, Hendrik Chabot, and Aad de Haas. He is therefore considered the father of Rotterdam graphic art.
It's understandable that the works from the Rotterdam period most clearly demonstrate that the artist had reached his peak. Yet, the work Angeran produced in his early years—from 1902 to 1907—when he lived in Den Hoorn and Delft, also possesses a unique charm. His technique may not have been perfect yet, but his artistry more than compensated for this. This early period, too, yielded work that demonstrates a rare artistic skill.
The exhibition in Schipluiden also features works from Van Angeren's teaching career at the Rotterdam Academy. These are superb prints that clearly demonstrate how important shipping and ports were to the artist's overall work. An etching press and other tools used in etching are also on display. Furthermore, several photographs from various periods of his life and fragments of 19th-century cadastral maps are included. A few posters and brochures from previous exhibitions dedicated to Derkzen van Angeren complete the collection.
Epilogue
In 1952, at the age of 74, van Angeren and his wife emigrated to Canada. This may have been an escape. After his retirement, he had experienced much. His son and his son's wife had been killed during the war. His best friend died shortly after the war, and his eldest daughter had emigrated to Canada with her family. Moreover, his interest in graphic art waned, and he had lost touch with many of his former students. However, he continued to work in Canada as well. The National Art Gallery in Toronto owns several of his works. On June 14, 1961, Derkzen van Angeren died at the age of 83.