
Jan Bogaerts was born in Den Bosch, where he learned the art of painting at the Royal School for Useful and Visual Arts from renowned artists such as Piet Slager and Antoon van Welie. Afterward, in 1899, Bogaerts continued his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. From 1906 to 1918, he resided and worked in Teteringen, in the portion of the former municipality that now forms part of the city of Breda. In his early years, he drew inspiration from romantic literature, which he translated into his dreamy depictions of landscapes adorned with castles and figures. This style and content can be described as symbolistic and related to the art nouveau movement of the time.
Bogaerts also sought a similar intensity in subjects from his everyday surroundings, which he illustrated with a more realistic approach. Through seemingly casual close-ups of a farmyard or a bench at the edge of a forest, he captured a beautifully serene representation in his work. During his time in Teteringen, Bogaerts also turned his attention to still life painting. Here, he found a medium that allowed him to express his ideas of stillness, depth, and intimacy with great attention to detail and endless variations.
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