Johannes ten Klooster (1873-1940): A Man With Two Lives

Johannes ten Klooster was born in 1873 in Java, to a Javanese/Chinese mother and a Dutch father. He was educated in the Netherlands and, while cherishing a deep desire to become an artist, was forced to work for a living; from 1897 to 1914 he served as a military officer in the Dutch East Indies and was stationed in Java, Sumatra and New Guinea. It was only after his return to the Netherlands and his retirement in 1919 that he was able to devote his life to art. His prolific and widely acclaimed oeuvre ranges from intriguing oil paintings to expressive woodcuts and exquisite ink drawings, which echo classical Chinese and Japanese art as well as art deco motifs. Nature, in all its aspects, was his main inspiration and he was able to draw upon the innumerable sketches he made during his years in the lush, tropical environment of the Dutch East Indies. Ten Klooster was a successful artist in his time and his work was purchased by a number of major museums in the Netherlands, Great Britain and the United States. This abundantly illustrates publication discusses all aspects of ten Klooster’s life and work and includes a complete catalog of his 175 woodcuts.