Portret van de schilder Maurits van der Valk - Jac van Looij

A 1896 lithographic portrait of Dutch painter Maurits van der Valk by Jac van Looij, originally published in De Kroniek.

This lithographic portrait depicts the Dutch painter Maurits van der Valk, captured by his contemporary and friend, Jac van Looij. Produced in 1896, the work appeared as a supplement to the Dutch weekly publication De Kroniek. The print belongs to a series of portraits commissioned by the magazine, which sought to document the figures of the Dutch cultural scene during the late nineteenth century.

Van Looij employs a monochromatic, warm-toned ink that provides a sense of intimacy and immediacy. The composition focuses on the subject from the chest up, presenting Van der Valk in a relaxed, contemplative state. He is shown wearing spectacles and holding a pipe, elements that suggest a scholarly or bohemian lifestyle common among the artists of the Tachtigers movement. The artist uses fine, hatched lines to model the features of the face, creating a sense of volume and texture in the skin and the fabric of his jacket. The bow tie adds a touch of period-specific formality, contrasting with the informal act of smoking.

The framing of the portrait is simple, with a rectangular border that contains the image, while the text at the top identifies the series and the date. Van Looij, who was also a writer, possessed a keen ability to capture the psychological presence of his subjects. This portrait avoids excessive ornamentation, relying instead on the precision of the draughtsmanship to convey the character of the sitter. The work remains a clear example of the graphic output of the Dutch Symbolist period, where the focus shifted toward the subjective experience and the quiet observation of the individual. It offers a direct look at the artistic community in the Netherlands at the turn of the century, preserved through the medium of the printed page.