Tinus van Doorn

Martinus Jacob van Doorn (2 June 1905, Padang – 17 May 1940, Uccle) was a Dutch painter and graphic artist in the Expressionist style.

Biography He was born in Indonesia. His family returned to the Netherlands when he was eight and settled in The Hague, where he attended the Hogere Burgerschool. During this time, he displayed his artistic abilities by making woodcuts of animals. In 1924, he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Art, graduating in 1928. He lived in Oegstgeest for a year, then moved to Rotterdam, where he met and married the pianist, Annie Vermeulen, known as "Akkie".

He was influenced by the works of Marc Chagall and Franz Marc, experimenting with form and color, which he considered to be the primary conveyor of sentiment and feeling.

That same year, he moved to Achterhoek, near the German border, and began to be depressed about the political situation. He could see that he would not be allowed to paint as he pleased under the Nazis. In 1938, as German troops made threatening maneuvers, he moved to Belgium. This was to no avail, however. In 1940, when the German army occupied Brussels, he and Akkie committed suicide.

Selected paintings