JACOB NIEWEG
1877 Hegebeintum – 1955 Amersfoort
A SUNFLOWER IN A BRAIDED BASKET
pencil on paper, 347 x 350 mm
signed and dated upper right: JN Dec. 09
To express the deeper meaning of the visual reality Jacob Nieweg painted several still lifes. Those compositions are characterized by an atmosphere of stillness and contemplation. Nieweg refers to the absolute through simple objects. The artist focused on the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Religion is important in Nieweg’s life. Nieweg studied Theology and worked as a preacher. He found spoken language too intellectual, too little emotional and not sufficient visual to communicate with a wide audience. Nieweg considered his artistic talent a gift of God. He stopped serving the Church to become a professional artist at the age of thirty-seven in 1914. Nieweg was a dedicated artist, his best works date from the start of his career.
Hendrik Bremmer (1871-1951), one of the most influential figures in the cultural scene in the Netherlands at the beginning of the twentieth century, plays an important role within Nieweg’s artistic career. Bremmer was a trained artist but he operated as an art critic, kunstpedagogue, art teacher, lecturer, publisher, art dealer and adviser. Nieweg attended Bremmer’s art courses as a student in Groningen from 1899-1905. Bremmer acknowledged Nieweg’s artistic talent and stimulated him to become a professional artist. Nieweg became Bremmer’s pupil. Bremmer advised Nieweg, acquired work from him, sold his work and promoted Nieweg in several of his publications. Their relation remained strong until the end of their lives.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the interest in the work by the relatively unknown Vincent van Gogh increased. Bremmer, a member of the Avant Garde with an interest in modern art, was one of the first who understood the importance of Van Gogh’s work which he promoted and collected. On many occasions Bremmer presented original Van Gogh drawings to his students at his art lessons.
The influence of Vincent van Gogh on Nieweg is evident. Van Gogh, the son of minister, originally had the intention to follow his father’s career but became a painter. Like Nieweg Van Gogh believed that within religion human emotion is very important both and artists shared an interest in people from the lower social classes. The artist never met Van Gogh but Nieweg became befriended with Van Gogh’s elder sister Anna van Houten – Van Gogh (1855-1930). She happened to be in the religious community where Nieweg preached. She had inherited her brother’s art which she found difficult to appreciate. Together with Nieweg they looked at Van Gogh’s art and she learned her to perceive his work differently which changed her appreciation of her brother’s work in a positive direction.