Matthijs Maris facts for kids
Matthijs Maris (born August 17, 1839 – died August 22, 1917) was a Dutch artist. He was a painter, an etcher (who makes art by scratching designs onto metal), and a lithographer (who makes art using a special printing method). People also knew him as Matthias Maris or just Thijs.
Matthijs was part of a group of artists called the Hague School. His two brothers, Jacob and Willem, were also in this group. But as Matthijs grew as an artist, his paintings became very different. His unique style was inspired by another art group called the Pre-Raphaelites.
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Early Life and Art Training
Matthijs Maris was born in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands. When he was 12 years old, he tried to join the Hague Academy of Art. However, he did not pass the entrance test. So, he took lessons from Isaac Cornelis Elink Sterk, who was the secretary of the academy.
One year later, Matthijs was accepted into the academy. He studied there until 1855. In 1854, he became a student of Louis Meijer, a painter known for his sea scenes. Louis Meijer helped Matthijs get money from Queen Sophie. This money allowed him to go to Antwerp, Belgium, where his brother Jacob was. The brothers rented rooms together there.
In 1858, Matthijs came back to The Hague. Jacob already had an art studio, and they shared it. Later, they got another job that allowed them to travel. They went to Oosterbeek, a village where they painted with other artists like Gerard Bilders and Anton Mauve.
Travels and Changing Art Style
In 1860, Matthijs traveled with his brother Jacob. They went along the Rhine River to Switzerland. Then, they came back through France to the Netherlands. In Cologne, Germany, the brothers saw an art show. It displayed German art from the 1800s. This show made German Romanticism a bigger influence on Matthijs's art.
When Matthijs returned to the Netherlands, he showed some of his paintings in Amsterdam and The Hague. But people did not like them very much. This made Matthijs feel sad and he started to keep to himself. His brother Jacob was doing well in Paris, France. So, Jacob invited Matthijs to join him there. Matthijs moved to Paris in 1869.
After the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), Jacob went back to The Hague with his family. Matthijs felt very lonely after Jacob left. He also faced serious poverty, like many artists in Paris at that time. So, he went back to painting to earn money. His art style did not change much at first. It looked more like his earlier works. Later, he did not like these paintings. He called them 'potboilers,' meaning he only painted them to get food on the table.
Life in London and Imaginative Art
An art dealer named Daniel Cottier convinced Matthijs to move to London, England. Matthijs moved there in 1877. In London, he started painting more imaginative scenes. He painted fairytale characters and magical castles. He also painted several pictures of brides. These paintings had soft gray colors and looked delicate and hazy, like a dream.
Matthijs also painted portraits, especially of children. Some famous ones include Baby Lessor (1880) and Barije Swan (1887). Barije Swan shows a delicate child in a white and gray lace dress. It has small touches of yellow and blue ribbons. Children, sometimes with animals, were always a favorite subject for him. He painted portraits and figures using many layers of gray-brown colors. He used dry, loose paint. This made the images look like they were covered in a mist.
Matthijs Maris passed away in London on August 22, 1917. He was 78 years old. He died after a short illness and was buried in London.
See also
In Spanish: Matthijs Maris para niños
