prof. Henri 'Hans' van de Waal

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Waal, Henri of the (Hans), art historian (Rotterdam 3-3-1910-Lead 7-5-1972). Son of Elias of the Waal, a gold and silversmith, and Henriette Seckel. Married on 28-12-1939 Liliane Henriette Dufresne. From this marriage 2 sons were born.

Hans van de Waal visited the gymnasium Erasmianum in Rotterdam and in 1929 the study Dutch literature. After the study in 1932, he chose art history majors. In 1934 he laid out the master's degree with honors from and immediately afterwards, he was appointed as an Assistant at the print room of the University. In spite of the busy work that were connected to this role, he worked in the next few years to a thesis on the representation of Dutch history, based on a completely new, at the time, was still in Germany developed iconological method, in which the history of art is placed in the broader context of the cultural history. Forced by the circumstances, the original concept was considerably shortened and received his doctorate of the Waal on 12 July 1940 graduated cum laude in w. Martin on the thesis Seventeenth eeuwsche chen depictions of the Batavian rebellion. A iconological study, that only three chapters of the original manuscript. Four months later, on 23 November 1940, he was in the context of the measures taken by the occupying power against Jewish staff of the University from his position in the print room. On March 9, 1943, he was, as belonging to a category of privileged Jews, whisked away to the camp The Biezen (Barneveld) and then he spent of 29 September 1943 to March 31, 1945 in Westerbork.

Already shortly after the liberation, on 11 June 1945, of the Waal resumed its work in Leiden, the Netherlands, now as the main Assistant. On 27 December of the same year he was appointed extraordinary Professor of art history as the successor of his master w. Martin which, on account of his age after the war had not been renewed. On 22 March 1946, loved the Waal are inaugural tradition and inspiration, in which he presented his iconological approach to art history. In 1946 the extraordinary Chair turned into an ordinary professorship. Until his death of the Waal has this Chair, which was combined with the Directorate of the print room, busy, although are already in the war years serious chance of restoring health over time even further deteriorated.

As a teacher pulled out of the Waal with his lectures a lot of interest, also on the part of not as a student in the history of art registered audience. In his lectures, he worked in his oration programme developed further and he received his ' image-learning ', in which the construction of a work of art is related to three main factors: form, function and content. His students he sought the greatest possible freedom to choose their specialisation within the box. Many of his students chose later a museum career. Only a few times of the Waal joined as promoter.

In the pre-war years had a few of the Waal, partly in connection with his thesis, published, and in 1941 published a concise, but excellent monograph on the work of Jan van Goyen. In the meantime he worked on the original edition of his dissertation, which in 1940, just a few chapters were published. Already in 1942, the book as a whole, but later it was the matter seized and destroyed. In the end only appeared in 1952, have updated text in the two-part standard operating three centuries vaderlandsche geschieduitbeelding 1500-1800, that is characteristic of the Walloon systematic approach of his substance and are applied to the last detail sense of perfection. A year earlier the appeared already in the war years prepared translation of Eugène Fromentins Les maîtres d'autrefois (the masters of the past). In these years Also saw articles and reviews on a regular basis in various magazines, including the Bulletin of the Royal Dutch Antiquarian Bond, which of the Waal from 1947 to 1956 was also editor in Chief. In his later publications he concentrated more and more at work by Rembrandt, which he held a number of ground-breaking articles published, which later are combined in the posthumously published Steps towards Rembrandt (1974). In addition, however, was his attention more and more dominated by the work on the Iconclass, a system of iconographic Classification of subjects of the Visual Arts, which was presented for the first time in 1952, but since 1950 was in use by the National Agency for art-historical Documentation issued DIAL (Decimal Index-of-the-art of the Low Countries), an iconographic index in the form of photo cards on the Dutch painter and art of drawing. First time in 1968 appeared a concise Edition of the system in book form, but due to the large size of the project began the final official only in 1973. Another great scientific project of the Waal had set up, an inventory of old Dutch book illustrations, in addition to the work on the Iconclass insufficient attention and that they decided a few years after his death.

The print room of the University of made in the period 1945-1972, in which the Directorate of the Waal, it held a stormy development by. The drawings collection underwent a massive expansion, mainly due to the purchase of the in 1957 from more than 5,000 sheets existing collection North and Early Netherlandish drawings of A. Welcker and other gains, such as the collection of acquired in 1969 A. Staring. A whole new development in 1953 meant the creation of a separate section for the history of photography, of which the basis was formed by during the year at the end of the collection of Auguste Grégoire. With this section, listed in the following years was extended, with respect to the exercise of the Waal with his staff a pioneering role in the Netherlands for the final version of the recognition of photography as art. These extensions of the collections also brought a growing lack of space in the building on the Clock increased, all the more so because the staff increased gradually by appointment of curators for the different departments and also the educational staff to the substantial rise in the numbers of students enrolled.

Also outside of the University of Leiden militate in favour of the Waal various activities, inter alia, as Chairman of the V.A.E.V.O. (Association for the promotion of the aesthetisch element in the secondary education) and as a founding member of the Dutch Literary Museum and documentation centre. Since 1957 he was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Of the Waal was a man with strong views. His personal sensitivity was sometimes the form of hypersensitivity, which he quickly through words or actions of others hurt. This caused many a certain fear for his comments and increased, much to the Walloon own sadness, the distance to a number of his colleagues, staff and students. However, when in contact with him was bridged the gap, he showed are friendly, helpful and very concerned for the business and problems of others. His later life years are characterized by a growing religious feeling, which focused on the Jewish orthodoxy.

Although he has been plagued by a very bad health, which he repeatedly commits serious in his work, he released his death aged 62 still very unexpected. Two years earlier, he was on the occasion of his 60th anniversary in this way we can and was giving him a bundle preparation of staff and students. The final result of his most significant scientific work, the Iconclass, saw, however, only after his death the light, so that his most important contribution to the art-historical science only posthumous to fully understand.

A: Correspondence and scientific notes in the print room/Institute of art history.

P: Bibliography to January 1, 1970, by e. Tholen in for H. of the Waal. Offered by students and staff 3 March 1970 (Amsterdam [etc.], 1970) 241-243. Additions in the publication referred to in points (l) of Dresden.

L: J.J. Terwen, in News Bulletin of the Royal Dutch Antiquarian Bond 1972, * 71-72; H. Gerson, in Yearbook of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1972, 166-180; s. Dresden, in Yearbook of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse letterkunde to lead 1972-1973, 234-243; R. H. Fuchs, in neoplasmatic design. Middle East, and Africa quarterly for the history of art 6 (1972/73) 5-7.

I: Yearbook Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1972 (Amsterdam 1973) Image vis-à-vis page 166.

Rudi Ekkart

Original version in: Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands 3 (the Hague, 1989)

Last modified on 13-03-2008

Kind: Henri van de Waal Vader: Elias van de Waal Geslacht: Man Moeder: Henriëtte Seckel Geslacht: Vrouw Gebeurtenis: Geboorte Datum: donderdag 3 maart 1910 Rotterdam

Bruidegom Henri van de Waal Beroep assistent bij het prentenkabinet Geboorteplaats Rotterdam Leeftijd 29 Bruid Liliane Henriette Dufresne Beroep zonder beroep Geboorteplaats aigle in Zwitserland Leeftijd 20 Vader van de bruidegom Elias van de Waal Moeder van de bruidegom Henriëtte Seckel Vader van de bruid Henri Edmond Dufresne Moeder van de bruid Frida Augusta Hubert Gebeurtenis Huwelijk Datum 28-12-1939 Gebeurtenisplaats Leiden