Chris Beekman (1887-1964)
Artist's portrait of Egnatius Ydema
Pencil on paper
1906
38 x 26 cm
 
In good condition.
 
Chris Beekman joined the Haagsche Plateelbakkerij Rozenburg in 1900. It was there that he met Louis Soonius, with whom he collaborated and became friends. They worked closely together, even beyond their time at Rozenburg. This is evident from the fact that Beekman, along with Aris Knikker and Louis Soonius, rented a studio on Noorderbeekdwarastraat. Soonius was closely associated with a group of Frisian artists and introduced Beekman to Ids Wiersma, Ype Wenning and the painter Egnatius Ydema. This intruiging portrait of one of Beekman's friends was created in 1906. In 1909, Beekman resigned from Rozenburg and turned his back on his old, somewhat traditional friends to explore the path of abstraction. Influenced by socialism and De Stijl, he began to experiment with various styles.