Petrus Van der Velden

Petrus Van der Velden (5 May 1837 – 10 November 1913) was a New Zealand artist of Dutch descent. Van der Velden was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, though much of his career was spent in Christchurch, New Zealand.

He trained in printing and lithography, but his main interest was in painting, and he registered at the Academy of Art, Rotterdam in 1868. He spent some time in The Hague, and was invited to join the group of Joseph Israels.

In 1890 he migrated to New Zealand with his wife and children (one daughter and two sons) and settled at Christchurch. He painted his masterpiece "Otira Gorge" on a six-month painting trip to the Southern Alps about 1892. He painted in the sentimental realism style of Jozef Israëls, and his axiom was "colour is light".

He spent some time from 1898 in Sydney, Australia, and then returned to New Zealand in 1905. He initially settled in Wellington, but planned to move to Auckland, where he died of a heart attack in 1913.

Many of his works are in public galleries in New Zealand and the Netherlands. His masterpiece "A Waterfall in the Otira Gorge" is in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

References

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/V/VanDerVeldenPetrus/VanDerVeldenPetrus/en Biography in 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]

External links

* [http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/search.aspx?advanced=colProProductionMakers%3a%22van+der+Velden%2c+Petrus%22 Works by Petrus Van der Velden at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]

Persondata
NAME= Van der Velden, Petrus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= artist, painter
DATE OF BIRTH= 5 May, 1837
PLACE OF BIRTH= Rotterdam, Holland
DATE OF DEATH= 10 November 1913
PLACE OF DEATH= Auckland, New Zealand