Biography

Willem Cornelis Rip (1856-1922)

From RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History https://rkd.nl/nl/collecties/aanwinsten/1013-archief-willem-rip:

"Willem Rip was born in Rotterdam and was educated there at the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences and by Robert van Eijsden . With the help of a royal grant, he was able to study in Munich in 1879 with the history painter Karl Piloty.(1824-1886), whose influence hardly played a role in Rip's art. The subsequent journey through Bavaria, Tyrol and Italy aroused in him the pleasure of making studies outdoors, but his heart lay with the Dutch landscape with the gray cloudy skies above it. The image of Holland that was also popular with foreign collectors. A note from Rip written just after the First World War to the aforementioned Harry Wallis shows that popularity. The art dealer had ordered fourteen watercolors and three paintings from him, but apparently complained about the amount. Rip wrote to him: 'You find my prices more expensive than before, but my work is better paid […]. The Americans are also starting to buy again and are paying higher and higher prices.'

In the meantime, Willem Rip had moved to The Hague, where he was a member of both the artists' association Pulchri Studio and the Haagse Kunstkring . He belonged to the group of artists who, inspired by the work of the painters of the Hague School, successfully painted similar works for the international market. In a number of contemporary photos of his paintings in the archive, you can see the echo of his predecessors such as JH Weissenbruch , Jacob Maris and PJC Gabriel . Those predecessors also appreciated him. Mesdag and Jozef Israelsoften visited him in his studio. They were interested in his work', Rip's daughter wrote in her handwritten memory of her father. Mesdag bought a number of paintings for his collection. He was in good company with that, because Queen Willhelmina and Queen Regent Emma also owned works by Willem Rip.

Although the small archive only contains a few fragments from Willem Rip's career, it is certainly a nice addition. The RKD collection already contains several letters from Willem Rip in his position as a member of the exhibition committee of the artists' association Pulchri Studio in The Hague. The whole gives a nice picture of the successful Hague School epigone."