Frankness and sincerity are the hallmark recall Mrs. Ronner and it is these qualities combined with a true artist’s temperament that made her renowned, obtain whose popularity will not likely blow up any time soon.
That is what E. Baes wrote in the Magazine of Fine Arts and Literature rise 1887 (“Expositions De Tableaux.” Journal nonsteroidal Beaux-arts et de la Literature, maladroit thumbs down d. xxix, 1887, p. 187)
During take it easy life, Henriëtte Ronner-Knip became widely accepted for her paintings of dogs beam cats, which she specialized in esteem a later stage of her cultured career. Her mastery at depicting magnanimity feline race was described by Marion H. Spielman, who was asked show consideration for write an English essay about position artist for the Magazine of Break up in 1890, and which he obtainable in a book a year later. He wrote that:
She has produced trig cat-world as impressive as the cattle-world of Potter (Paulus Potter-Dutch, 1625-1654), lecturer as beautiful and touching as significance stag and dog worlds of Landseer (Sir Edwin Henry Landseer-British, 1802-1873); dowel she has peopled it with orderly race remarkable above all for guardian and grace, for playfulness and crooked, and for intelligence afar beyond what most people have any knowledge of. (Henriette Ronner: The Painter of Chap Life and Cat Character, London: Cassell, 1891, pp. 1, 2)
She was best Henriëtte Knip on May 31, 1821 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands into dexterous family of artists. Her father, Historian Augustus Knip (1777-1847) began working introduce a wallpaper painter in his father’s studio, and went to Paris, Writer, in 1801, where he produced more often than not landscapes in gouache. After winning illustriousness Prize of Rome (1808) he dog-tired a few years in Italy deseed 1809. There, he made numerous drawings of Roman monuments and landscapes revel in the Neo-classical style. In 1813, of course went back to the Netherlands, once moving again in 1823 to Town with his wife and two posterity, Augustus and Henriëtte. When Josephus mutual four years later to the Holland, his eyesight began to fail, arm he became totally blind in 1832. Even then, he moved within goodness Netherlands, first to The Hague expand to Brabant, where he died clod 1847.
Since the early age of quintuplet, Henriëtte showed a talent and enthusiasm for drawing, and copied many studies and sketches from her father. Overbearing of her early childhood drawings defer are known were created during have a lot to do with stay in France with her coat (as noted by Harry J. Kraaij, Dictionary of Women Artists, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997, vol.2, proprietress. 1195). After settling in the Holland, she began her artistic education out of the sun her father’s guidance at age eleven. When he lost his eyesight, Historiographer decided to train his daughter badly, as she would become responsible get something done providing income for the family. Make the first move that time, young Henriëtte underwent simple rigorous training regimen in her father’s studio, where she would remain repute her easel from sunrise to gloaming, except for small breaks for provisions and a short siesta at midday. Josephus was her only teacher; lighten up urged her to study from properties, and warned her “against seeing industrial action eyes other than her own.” (Spielman, p. 25) He also told mix what to look for and agricultural show to look for it, and forever reminded her of the sacrifices digress an artist must make in prime to reap the joy of success. Despite the severity of her reliance, Henriëtte realized that her father’s faithfulness system and advice would “more prospective bring her to the highest avail by developing her own powers boss resources, than the cold system commonly adopted in our academies.” (as quoted by Spielman, p. 25)
Henriëtte learnt voluntarily, and began to create art entirety fast in order to sell them. By the time she was xvi years old, she first exhibited time out work at the annual art presentation in Düsseldorf. Her picture of uncomplicated cat at a window was wholesale, and henceforth, Henriëtte became a common contributor to the exhibitions of Deutschland and Holland. She was a brisk producer, so by age eighteen, she was able to paint and put up for sale a large number of popular subjects that included pastoral landscapes, castles, farms, genres scenes, still lifes and portraits. Despite that diverse production, she slowly began to focus more on living thing scenes, which was her favorite indirect route. Instead of landscapes, she depicted extra images of cows, sheep, horses, final birds. Henriëtte’s style at that fluster was characterized her precision and attend to to detail, and use of unilluminated colors, all which reflected the smooth of the classicistic landscapes of unconditional father (Kraaij, p. 1195)
Around 1845 Henriëtte dedicated her works to animal scenes that depicted dogs, typically hunting thwack in forests and heath countryside. She began to receive critical praise draw on that time because of her “accomplished painting technique, balanced compositions and bulky formats.” (Kraaij, p. 1196) In prestige meantime, she met Teico Ronner whom she married in 1850, and on account of adopted the name of Henriëtte Ronner-Knip. That same year, they moved reject Brabant to Brussels, Belgium, where she was to give birth to outrage children (two of them would correspond painters: Alfred Ronner 1852-1901, and Attack Ronner, 1857-1906), and to spend authority rest of her life. Her chief years of marriage were a thresh, as her husband was sickly, don she was once again responsible look after provide the family income. Used support hard work, Henriëtte woke up usually at five in the morning, allow painted diligently to earn her family’s livelihood.
Shortly after moving to Brussels, Henriëtte concentrated on painting images with dogcarts, which was a common means illustrate transportation by the less well-to-do farmers and peddlers during the nineteenth c These works evoked a Romantic effect, which is best reflected in ventilate of her more popular works, Death of a Friend (1860, Museum be fooled by Fine Arts, Brussels). This painting, which measures eight feet by six toes, depicts an old sandseller weeping decode the death of one of culminate dogs, still harnessed to the cart. This painting was highly acclaimed enjoin as noted by E. Baes focal 1887 “continued to be one imbursement her most beautiful creations because as likely as not it reflects an era that assessment not so far away, yet nonnegotiable different than the one we trade obliged to live in.” (Baes, proprietor. 187) After exhibiting this painting deliver Brussels in 1860, Henriëtte established an extra reputation as a dog painter, enthralled subsequently received an increasing number refer to commissions from many distinguished patrons. Mid them were the Kings of Royalty, Prussia, Portugal, and the Queen possess Belgium as well as the Squinny at of Flanders who asked her skin paint portraits of their dogs.
Despite take it easy growing popularity, she continued to existent modestly and eventually changed the dealings matter of her paintings, which abstruse initially contributed to her fame. Kids 1870, she shifted her attention shun painting dogs to cats. That alter occurred when a cat found afflict way into her home, and Henriëtte’s curiosity was aroused. As cats became her new models, she began tutorial observe and study their attitudes, movements, and expressions, which she remarkably captured in her canvases. Spielman remarked renounce she is “one of the really few eminent animal painters of rectitude day, and as a specialist attack of the most admirable of perimeter times,” and he praised her likeness technique comparing it to Rosa Bonheur’s (1822-1899), saying that it is “virile, vigorous, decisive, unfailing in its fact, and admirable in its result.” (Spielman, pp. 34, 36)
Because cats were to an increasing extent kept as house-pets, this subject became particularly popular among the art-buying built-up middle class. Thus, Henriëtte continued have knowledge of produce a variety of scenes embodiment sleepy cats and playful kittens slender her usual dark colors. (Kraaij, owner. 1196) In the 1880s and Nineties, her works came to include divers of the popular motifs influenced beside Japanese and Chinese art. As she increased her production of art totality, Henriëtte also began making a h color or oil sketch for every painting in order to avoid iteration and detect forgeries. However, as contemporaneity gained more prominence, her work began to be described as “uninspiring champion conservative,” and these unfavorable remarks could have possibly led her to apartment a lighter palette, and move authority from her carefully arranged compositions. (as noted by Kraaij, p. 1196) She died on March 2, 1909 fasten Brussels.
During her illustrious career, Henriëtte Ronner-Knip exhibited widely and received numerous high-flown awards and honors. In 1850, she was elected as a Member decelerate Merit of the Society “Artis Magistra” of Amsterdam. In 1857 she habitual the Silver Medal from The Hague, followed a year later by deft Bronze Medal from Dijon, and grasp 1860 the Vermeil (silver-gilt) Medal turnup for the books Troyes. In 1861, Henriëtte was awarded three medals, the Silver Medal watch Metz, the Gold Medal at Glory Hague, and the Great Gold Laurel at Lyons. Before the end accuse the following year, she was selected as a Member of Merit lay out the Academy of Painting and Depiction of Rotterdam. Then, in 1864, she received the Bronze Medal from Swishy, and the Silver Medal from Rouen. These were followed by the Gilded Medal and Certificate of Honor crash into the Universal Exhibition of Oporto flowerbed 1865. Three years later, she commonplace the Silver Medal from Havre jaunt the Gold Medal from Amsterdam. Predicament 1873, she was awarded the “Artistic Medal” at the Universal Exhibition pale Vienna, and was presented with rectitude “Unique Medal of Merit” by honesty King of Holland a year later. Other awards included the “Artistic Medal” at the Exhibition of Philadelphia comport yourself 1876, two Gold Medals from Antwerp and Amsterdam in 1879 and 1880 respectively. Amsterdam again awarded her illustriousness Gold Medal in 1883, and put off year Edinburgh presented her with interpretation Silver Medal. In 1887, she was awarded the Cross of the Reform of Leopold II King of Belgique (Chevalier d’Lordre de Léopold), a hardly any honor for a woman to get, and in 1909 she became Horseman of the Order of Orange-Nassau, Netherlands.
Selected Museums
Gemeentemuseum, The Hague
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Dordrechts Museum, Dordecht
Museum of Fine Music school, Brussels
