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Rien Poortvliet (August 7, 1932 – September 15, 1995) was a Dutch draughtsman and painter. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Drawing is a Visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e

Born in Schiedam, he was best known for his drawings of animals and for "Gnomes" in the famous series of books published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. of New York City. Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands and is part of the Rotterdam The Secret Book of Gnomes was a series of books designed for children Harry N Abrams Inc is a book publishing company in New York City, New York founded in 1949 by Harry Nathan Abrams to publish high-quality art and illustrated books The City of New York

Being a plasterer's son from Schiedam, making a living as an artist did not seem an option for Rien Poortvliet. His parents were strict Dutch Reformed and were opposed to the idea of their oldest son going to an art academy.

Rien's aptitude for drawing showed early on. After primary education the young Rien worked at an ad agency, where he could make some use of his talent. He unmistakably also had talent for the advertising profession, because after he had completed his draft time in the Navy he rose to senior manager at Lintas, Unilever's ad agency.

Yet Rien took more pleasure in the work he did on the side for several publishers. He illustrated various books, among them works by Jaap ter Haar, Leonard Roggeveen and Godfried Bomans. Godfried Bomans ( March 2, 1913, The Hague &ndash December 22, 1971, Bloemendaal) was a popular Dutch author and television He was also a passionate hunter, which led him to drawing various nature subjects.

At the end of the 1960s Poortvliet had made it to where he could resign as a publisher and start as an independent illustrator. However, he did not have enough work, so to earn enough to make a living he made a book out of his drawings and watercolours based on his hunting experiences. Plans are a set of two-dimensional diagrams or drawings used to describe a place or object or to communicate building or fabrication instructions Watercolor ( US) or Watercolour ( UK) (and "aquarelle" in French is a Painting method Later on, he also made a similar work concerning the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

Poortvliet saw himself as a characteristic narrator. His drawings told the tale, at most he added a short caption.

For years his works were published by Van Holkema en Warendorf in Bussum, where his "Leven en werken van de Kabouter" (co-authored by Wil Huygen, English title is "Gnomes") saw an astonishing 59 printings. With the Gnomes series Poortvliet acquired international fame. While he was alive, but more so after his death this series took on a life of its own, and was turned into an animated series.

His books were translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Finnish, Italian and other languages.

Contents

Fame and Recognition

The general public were delighted with Poortvliet's drawings. Critics thought Poortvliet hypocritical since he painted beautiful nature scenes while being a fervent hunter. Yet the draughtsman himself was elated to be the centre of attention. He did well on television with his goatee, his corduroy trousers and his chequered jackets. For a few years, Poortvliet was a panel member in "Zo Vader, Zo Zoon" (a Dutch game show).

Poortvliet found recognition when Prince Bernhard opened the Rien Poortvliet Museum in 1992. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) This museum stood in the old, historic Town Hall of Middelharnis, "Fortunately far away from the modern art gang in Amsterdam" as Poortvliet said in an interview. Middelharnis (population 17450 in 2004 is a municipality and a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. However, the Rien Poortvliet Museum has now closed its doors to the public (December 16th, 2006). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Because of sharply reduced visitor numbers the museum could no longer meet its financial obligations.

Rien Poortvliet died in Soest in 1995 of bone cancer at the age of 63. Soest is a Municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. He was married to Corrie Bouman and they have two sons.

Picture Gallery

Works

See also

External links

The Secret Book of Gnomes was a series of books designed for children
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