Cees Bantzinger - Aquarel, Z.T

Watercolor on paper by Cees Bantzinger.
Cees Bantzinger was a Dutch painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. He was born in Gouda and attended the art academy in Amsterdam, where he developed an interest in drawing from live models. He subsequently studied at the Royal Academy of Art and spent some time in the Montparnasse district of Paris. He traveled through Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, where he was influenced by the Bauhaus movement. Meanwhile, in 1936, he began his career as an illustrator at De Groene Amsterdammer. Along with Eppo Doeve and Jo Spier, he became one of the country's best-known illustrators for daily and weekly newspapers.
During World War II, Bantzinger worked for the underground press, along with Bert Bakker and Fokke Tamminga. They formed the Mansarde Press, which also attracted writers such as Bertus Aafjes, Ab Visser, and Ferdinand Borderwijk. During this period, Bantzinger also created a comic strip called "Knobbel" for the magazine De Narrenkap.
After the war, Bantzinger became known for his portraits of actors and actresses in theaters. His visual art also often featured Chinese people and women. He created illustrations for publications such as Elseviers Weekblad, Vrij Nederland, Mandril, and Het Vrije Volk. Bantzinger was an avid traveler and made numerous trips to Greece, Portugal, and France, where he made drawings of local residents and court scenes.
His wife was the Dutch singer Jetty Pearl, who had been one of the voices of Radio Oranje during the war.