De Groene Amsterdammer 1940-1945
Object numberM2018/017
TitleDe Groene Amsterdammer 1940-1945
Creator Leendert Jordaan
DescriptionAlbum. Collection of drawings by Dutch artist Leendert (Leo) Jordaan (1885-1980). The drawings were made in the Netherlands during World War II as an act of subversion and defiance against the Nazi German occupiers. They were compiled into an album and published after the liberation of Europe in 1945.
Leendert (Leo) Jordaan was born on 30 December, 1885 to Leendert and Anna Jordaan in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He began training as a teacher but deferred his studies in 1901 to take lessons in art history, drawing and painting at the 'Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten'. Leo’s professors nurtured his interest in and talent for drawing and soon afterwards he began contributing his art to political journals like 'De Nederlandsche Spectator'. In addition to these artistic leanings, he is also regarded as the first Dutch film critic. He vehemently attacked the influence of American media as well as mass entertainment and was a co-founder of the Dutch Film League.
From 1928 to 1936, Leo was the editor of 'De Groene Amsterdammer'. He contributed his artworks to this political journal throughout the 1930s and ‘40s. Many of these drawings, in the style of caricatures, were critical of Adolf Hitler and Nazism. When Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands in 1940, Leo was censored but he continued to draw in secret. The resulting images were compiled in a ‘memorial album’ following the liberation of Europe in 1945. After the war, he kept drawing and writing but retired from these activities in 1961 when he moved to Zelhem. On 21 April, 1980, Leo died aged 94. He had married twice, firstly to Johanna Visser in 1925, and following her death in 1945, he married Maria Everts in 1948. There were no children from either marriage.
Leendert (Leo) Jordaan was born on 30 December, 1885 to Leendert and Anna Jordaan in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He began training as a teacher but deferred his studies in 1901 to take lessons in art history, drawing and painting at the 'Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten'. Leo’s professors nurtured his interest in and talent for drawing and soon afterwards he began contributing his art to political journals like 'De Nederlandsche Spectator'. In addition to these artistic leanings, he is also regarded as the first Dutch film critic. He vehemently attacked the influence of American media as well as mass entertainment and was a co-founder of the Dutch Film League.
From 1928 to 1936, Leo was the editor of 'De Groene Amsterdammer'. He contributed his artworks to this political journal throughout the 1930s and ‘40s. Many of these drawings, in the style of caricatures, were critical of Adolf Hitler and Nazism. When Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands in 1940, Leo was censored but he continued to draw in secret. The resulting images were compiled in a ‘memorial album’ following the liberation of Europe in 1945. After the war, he kept drawing and writing but retired from these activities in 1961 when he moved to Zelhem. On 21 April, 1980, Leo died aged 94. He had married twice, firstly to Johanna Visser in 1925, and following her death in 1945, he married Maria Everts in 1948. There were no children from either marriage.
Production date 1945 - 1945
Object namedrawings
Dimensions
- height: 400.00 mm
width: 250.00 mm
width: 500.00 mm
depth: 10.00 mm
Language
- Dutch
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection