Johannes Mattheus Graadt van Roggen (1867 - 1959)

Johannes Mattheus Graadt van Roggen

Johannes Mattheus Graadt van Roggen was a Dutch draftsman, painter and graphic artist. He is considered a forerunner of the Bergen School. He made his first paintings when he was seventeen. He received his art education at the Minerva Academy in Groningen and at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. He was first known as an etcher. Since he lived in Bergen, he has started painting and watercoloring more and more. Because of his deafness, Graadt van Roggen was a visually oriented painter par excellence, who painted what he saw. He was a real plein air painter; he liked to paint outdoors. He rarely, if ever, painted indoors – there are a few still lifes and portraits. He has created many dune landscapes; He also regularly painted the Zeeland coast. Other subjects are: harbours, portraits and cityscapes.