Tjerk Bottema

Tjerk Bottema (born 4 March 1882 – 1940) was a Dutch painter. At age 14 he was sent Rijkskweekschool in Maastricht where he studied drawing.[1] Later Bottema studies are the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, where art-nouveau had just come to hold sway.[1] During this time Bottema also started drawing advertisements, an activity that would later make him famous.[1] In 1909 he has his first major success with the painting “Maaiers”, one year later he wins the prestigious Prix de Rome.[1] During World War I he visited the Western Front to make an illustrated report for De Amsterdammer.[1] After the war he settles in Paris, he finds a job writing travel reports for De Notenkraker.[1] When in 1940 the German army approaches Paris Bottema decides to leave France, dying when the ship he was travelling on was traveling on was sunk by a German U-boat.[1]