|
Back to dossier
Charley Toorop | De Maaltijd der Vrienden, 1932-1933 129,5 x 200 cm Coll. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Click here for a description of all persons on the painting
John (Ferno) Fernhout
The Fernhout Family
John Fernhout was born on 9 August 1913 in Bergen in the province of North Holland, the second son of painter Charley Toorop and philosopher Hendrik Fernhout. His brother Edgar was one year older; his sister Annetje (Annie) was born three years later.
Turmoil
As a result of tensions between his parents, John experienced a lot of family turmoil in his youth. In 1917, his parents’ marriage of five years is over. Annetje is sent to live with her grandfather, the painter Jan Toorop. Edgar and John stay with their mother.
De Vlerken
In close consultation with the architect Piet Kramer, Jan Toorop builds the studio/house ‘De Vlerken’ in Bergen for his daughter. Charley Toorop moves in with her two sons in 1922. During the 1930s, De Vlerken becomes an important meeting place for artists, including Joris Ivens, Pijke Koch, Piet Mondriaan, Gerrit Rietveld and Adriaan Roland Holst. The house still exists.
John (Ferno) Fernhout
Film League
In 1926, Charley Toorop and her two sons move to Amsterdam because she wants to be in closer contact with the international avant-garde. She sublets ‘De Vlerken’.
Charley Toorop takes up an interest in photography and film, as evidenced by her involvement in the founding of the Film League in 1927. Still, she prefers painting to photography, since photographs only capture a single moment whereas paintings are capable of representing various moods.
Edgar Fernhout
Charley’s son Edgar is attracted to the painting tradition in his family at a tender age, which earns him more attention from Charley than his younger brother John receives. When Edgar moves into a studio in Paris in 1929, Charley also supports him financially.
John, who is quite unmanageable both at school and at home, is put under the wings of cinematographer Joris Ivens, a close friend of his mother.
John (Ferno) Fernhout
Back to dossier |
