work for Verkerke Reproducties, a Dutch company that was one of the biggest
poster and art print companies in the world. The poster business was a booming
business in those days and the successful poster artists were getting rich.
Unfortunately I was not one of them, but I had a friend who was a leading
Verkerke artist and he was a rich man! At that time I was a starving artist who
just came to the Netherlands and was struggling to survive. Any opportunity to
earn some money was most welcome. In the subsequent 6 years I produced
(designed and painted) about 120 posters, prints and greetings cards, most of
them for Verkerke. I never got rich, but thanks to the jobs that I got from
this company on the regular basis, I was able to earn my living. Also during
this period, which I consider to be a period of my apprenticeship, I learned a
lot and experienced all sorts of things that provided me with important
knowledge and insights.
The first few posters
that I did for Verkerke were the posters of clowns, who were always playing an
instrument, mostly a violin, and were accompanied by little dogs and boy clowns.
The art director would explain to me what kind of paintings they needed, and
because it was a highly commercial work, I obeyed all their wishes and, if
necessary, I did all the requested changes and corrections. Typically the
clowns had to be depicted as latently sad, melancholic people. The compositions
and colors had to be sweet and appealing,
and they had to answer to the somewhat cheap aesthetic needs of the
public who was buying the posters. The sentimentality was one of the main
ingredients and a key to the commercial success of the poster.
This was my first
clown painting. The initial expression on the clown’s face was sadness. I can’t
remember whether the art director has requested
such an expression, but the painting was accepted and published as an oversized
greetings card. After that the art director asked me to repaint the clown’s
face and to make him smile, which I apparently did. However, this painting was
never printed as a poster.
Back than the
headquarters of Verkerke Reproducties were far from the place where I lived. In
fact they were at the opposite side of the country. Although the Netherlands is not very big, it took me a few
hours to get there by several trains.
Once, I brought one of my clown paintings to the art director (see below). She
was at first very pleased with the painting, but after a while she started to
doubt. At the end she told me that she wants me to bring the painting back home
and to paint a red rose on the ground next to the plate ( this was before the
internet and Photoshop). Why, I asked. Because, she said, they have found out that,
regardless the main subject, the posters that have a red rose included in the
composition sell better than the posters without it! Also, a red rose was selling
better than, for instance white or yellow rose. So, I brought the painting back
home. A week later I was again sitting in the train with the same clown
painting next to me, but this time with a red rose in it.
There were many
situations of a similar kind during that period. I never complained about not
having enough artistic freedom while doing this kind of job. I guess I did not
need the artistic freedom at that time. Instead I needed enough work in order
to survive physically and mentally, and I needed a challenge that would help me
to develop my artistic skills. Most of these 120 paintings were not very good,
some of them were really bad. There were only a few of them that I was
completely satisfied with. And although
I now don’t like to look at most of them, these works were extremely helpful
and important to me. I have had my share of ultra commercial art which
does not deal with the terms like artistic freedom, or free self-expression. I
have tasted the humility and the obedience,
which are the indispensable elements in the illustrator’s arsenal of
qualities.
Nowadays the things
are different. I guess I have earned my artistic freedom. I know now what I
want, and what I don’t want, and when to insist on my own freedom of artistic
expression. But I also know when to put
the thoughts about this freedom aside; I know when to shut up and do as the
client requires, in order to refill my piggy bank.
This is one of the few
paintings which I did for Verkerke posters that I am pleased with.
All creatures great and small, 1994, oil on wooden board, 100 X 70 cm, 39 ¼ X 27 ½ inch |
Petar, thank you so much for posting this! I can surely relate to this story 🙂
“I have tasted the humility and the obedience, which are the indispensable elements in the illustrator’s arsenal of qualities.”…
I have learned these lessons also trough my commercial illustration work, but, even more, recently as an art director working with illustrators. It was so important for me to be on the both sides to really understand.
Thank you so much for this fabulous article Mr. Meszeldzija!
It is highly encouraging for a young, inexperienced artist like myself to see the early struggles of someone who is working successfully as an illustrator today. I sometimes wonder if I will ever be able to work professionally doing any kind of art, but like you say, if I am willing to humble myself and meet requirements and deadlines with quality and timeliness, I can put food on the table with art.
Just know that your posts have been very encouraging. And that your clown posters are really quite good! They have a Rockwellian quality about them that I find most appealing!
Talk to you soon,
Will
I've seen “All creatures great and small.” And I love it! I can't remember where though, although it may have been in the gift shop of the zoo I voluntered at for 7 years. And yes, I too like the clown posters! They make me smile, not a bad thing.
This was a great post, really interesting story, thanks!
Thanks for the post, Petar, and the humility to show us some of your early stuff! One of humility's purest definitions is to be teachable, and I think this article is a good reminder to us all of the fact that great strength in anything always comes with the price of discipline, determination, and steadiness — a form of faith (at least in yourself), in effect.
“Let no man despise thy youth…”(1 Tim. 4:12) Time and success can sometimes make dim to us the gift of our youthful struggles. But those struggles that occur when we are starting out in something can give us the strength we need to continue in strength as we mature. Thanks again.
I must agree with comments above about humility and determination. It is a great post indeed. My favorite piece is the 3rd image (clown) from bottom up. The blue light and color saturation really helps to break the melancholic feel.
Thank you, guys, for your kind remarks and insightful comments.
And of course, our early struggles are necessary and extremely important. To all of you who still doubt or hesitate, I can say that my experience is telling me that as long as we follow our dream ( or our bliss) and do things genuinely and wholeheartedly, it will pay off, sooner or later, in one or another way. At the same time, one of the most important things is to realize that only a rough road leads to the stars – Per aspera ad astra!