Louis Soonius (1883-1956)
Children Playing on a Dune
Signed lower right 'Louis Soonius', and dated 1918
Maroufflé
17 x 25 cm
Frame: 
32 x 40 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, Wassenaar.

Condition:
In good condition

Extra information:
Louis Soonius is known as the Hague painter of children playing on the beach and donkeys riding along the shoreline. Soonius captured his immediate surroundings in a lifelike and fluid impressionistic manner. The beach scenes are mostly set in Scheveningen, often with the Kurhaus or the Pier in the background. The dune landscapes were predominantly painted in Wassenaar. On occasion, he visited Noordwijk aan Zee or Katwijk to depict the fishing life. The combination of a relaxing beach day, sunny and deep colors with an impressionistic touch, proved to be a successful formula, which he began using in the summer of 1917. His best works in this genre were created between 1917 and 1922.

Lodewijk (Louis) Soonius (1883-1956) was a Hague-based draftsman and painter, best known for his beach scenes featuring playing children and donkeys. Lodewijk Soonius and his twin sister Margaretha were born in 1883. Soonius grew up in a Roman Catholic family in The Hague.

His first drawings date from 1900, when he was still under 17 years old. These capture the changing cityscape of The Hague. That same year, he started working as a painter at the Plateelbakkerij Rozenburg. His sketchbooks testify to his drawing drive, filled with designs for decors and interesting figures. At Rozenburg, Soonius met Chris Beekman, with whom he became friends. Around 1905, he began studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where he befriended the Frisian Ids Wiersma. In 1913, Soonius won the Royal Subsidy for Free Painting, now the Royal Prize for Free Painting. This grant allowed him to devote himself fully to painting, which is reflected in his resignation from Rozenburg. Together with Chris Beekman and Aris Knikker, he rented a studio in Noorderbeekdwarsstraat, though their partnership was short-lived due to a fierce argument, the cause of which remains unknown, leading to a falling-out between Soonius and Beekman.

After World War I, Soonius joined the Hague Sketch Club, where he primarily exhibited nudes. There, he gained more recognition, bringing him into contact with several art dealers who promoted his work, such as Kunsthandel Kreijns & Zoon on Delftschevaart 40.

In the late 1920s, Soonius faced financial difficulties, turning to illustration work for novels published by J.N. Voorhoeve to supplement his income. However, the 1930s proved highly fruitful. Soonius had several exhibitions, including one at Kunsthandel Sena and at Huize Koninginnegracht 77. His early drawings of The Hague were acquired by the Monumentenworg Association in 1933, and in 1939, he painted a portrait of Queen Wilhelmina for the Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij, which was widely covered in national and regional newspapers. Just before the outbreak of World War II, Soonius' work was featured in the exhibition Onze kunst van het heden at the Rijksmuseum. In the 1950s, Soonius continued to paint steadily until his death in 1956.

Paintings by Soonius are included in the collections of the Katwijks Museum and the Historisch Museum Ede.