Artwork Data

Title

Vissersmonument

Artist

Cornelis van Duyne

Year

1921

Material

Grestegels

Artwork Location

Address

Scheveningseweg, Den Haag

City district

Scheveningen

GPS data

52.09934686854, 4.2827377306107 View on map

Artwork Description

Text

In memory of the more than 300 fishermen from Scheveningen who lost their lives at sea during the World War 1914-1919. They are there - where there is neither night nor fog'.

The Vissersmonument bearing these words was designed in 1921 by architect Cornelis van Duyne. It was unveiled a year later in the park on Scheveningseweg opposite the Frankenslag. On their way to meet their loved ones at the General (now Municipal) Cemetery on Kerkhoflaan, the people of Scheveningen passed the Vissers monument. The tribute to the 326 fishermen from Scheveningen who died on the North Sea between 1914 and 1919 at the hands of English mines or German torpedoes was designed for a green environment. The ceramic tiles with which the core of the monument is covered have a blue-green colour, which blends in nicely with the natural green of trees and plants. It also has a simple rectangular shape with a pillar on either side. The design includes three flower boxes.

The work of art is a good example of Art Deco (1918-1939), an art style that followed Art Nouveau or Jugendstil. Art Deco is characterised by its austere design, without whipping lines or naturalistic motifs. Van Duyne also designed houses and facades in Jugendstil, but, as his Vissersmonument shows, he made the switch to Art Deco without much difficulty, just like many of his fellow architects.

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