Johannes Jacobus Maria (‘Jan’) Bogaerts

Dutch, ‘s-Hertogenbosch 1878 – 1962 Wassenaar

During his studies, the painter Jan Bogaerts came into contact with Antoon van Welie, a lecturer at the Art Academy in Den Bosch. Under his influence, Bogaerts painted figures, portraits, landscapes, parks, gardens and castle grounds in a symbolistical manner. From 1899, he studied at the Art Academy in Antwerp. Although Bogaerts painted many portraits under assignment during those years, from the 1920s he focused more on still lifes.

Bogaerts’ still lifes are painted very true-to-life. There is always something serene about them, partly due to the temperate and subtle use of colour. However, the mystical atmosphere that is so characteristic of his landscapes and gardens is lacking. Compared to the work of contemporaries, the still lifes of Jan Bogaerts occupy a special position. Whereas Bogaerts purely focused on realism, his contemporaries mainly worked in a luministic, abstract, (cubist) expressionistic or magical-realist style. In addition, Bogaerts was a master in the representation of textures and materials – from fragile glass, durable earthenware, reflecting tin, scrubbed wood, soft tomatoes to hard egg shells, he accurately depicted everything. In this way, Jan Bogaerts showed that he mastered all aspects of painting.

Paintings by Jan Bogaerts in the collection of Kunsthandel Bies:

A still life with pink roses

Jan Bogaerts | Stilleven met kan en appels op een schaal | Kunsthandel Bies

Johannes Jacobus Maria (‘Jan’) Bogaerts

Dutch, ‘s-Hertogenbosch 1878 – 1962 Wassenaar

Paintings by Jan Bogaerts in the collection of Kunsthandel Bies:

A still life with pink roses

A still life with jug and apples on a plate

A coffee pot with a cup and saucer on a red tray