Eerie Stillness in the Van der Meulen Family’s Forgotten Atelier

Life of an Ambitious Portraitist

Hendrik van der Meulen, born 1876 in Amsterdam, came from a wealthy merchant family. Privately tutored in art and literature, he pursued a career as a portraitist. His father managed shipping interests, while his mother collected rare prints.

Hendrik’s temperament was exacting: he painted daily, keeping brushes cleaned, pigments sorted, and sketchbooks meticulously annotated. Physical clues include frayed paint-stained aprons, inked notes in a personal ledger, and half-completed portraits leaning against walls. His ambition to secure commissions drove him into long hours, yet his work remained confined to the interiors of his atelier.

Atelier as a Hub of Craft

The atelier occupies the main floor, with tall ceilings, north-facing windows, and built-in shelves filled with paints and varnishes. Canvases lean against walls, some partially obscured by dust sheets. Sketchbooks, brushes, and jars of medium lie abandoned, reflecting a life paused mid-stroke. The focus keyword portraiture appears in penciled annotations. Each surface, paint fleck, and smudged floor tells of halted routine, preserving the quiet drama of an interrupted artistic life.

Decline through Disillusion

Hendrik’s decline followed a series of failed exhibitions and harsh criticism. Commissions ceased, motivation waned, and he withdrew from public life. Paintings were left incomplete, brushes stiffened, and the atelier’s rhythm vanished. Every corner of the interior—the easels, tables, sketchbooks—reflects his fading commitment, a personal collapse sealed within the walls.

Traces of Unfinished Work

Notes, abandoned brushes, dried pigments, and empty paint jars convey the precision of former habits interrupted. Canvases remain partially rendered, sketchbooks open mid-study, and a letter to a patron rests unsent. Each object speaks to the obsession, the decline, and the unfulfilled promise.