Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (1898-1934) a South African artist in Gent

Galerie St-John, Gent 

st-john.be

Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (1898-1934) 

A South African artist in Gent 

EXPO/ 2-31 Dec. / Galerie St-John, Gent 

Biography

Gerard Stultjes family in Pretoria, with Jan to the right

From Pretoria to Ghent. 

On 5 September 1896, Gerard(us) Adrianus Stultjes (Amsterdam 1861- 

Pretoria 1925) leaves the Netherlands by ship, heading for South Africa to 

take up a position in Pretoria as an executive for the Amsterdam General 

Society of Life Insurance and Annuity. 

Two days before his departure, he marries Carolina Christina Maria Thecla 

Grinwis Plaat (Arnhem 1857 – South Africa 1934), who accompanies her 

brand new husband, together with two of three daughters from her previous 

marriage. (Carolina had divorced her first husband, Willem Stakeman, the 

year before after 13 years of marriage 1 .) 

The Stultjes-Grinwis Plaat family settled in Pretoria and it was there, on 

October 10, 1898, that Jan Stultjes was born. 

Based on the photographs of the Stultjes family we were shown, Jan's 

childhood seems to have been quite carefree. The Stultjes family seems to 

be well off. Young Jan has three older half-sisters who can take care of him. 

1 

Only two daughters – Anna Sophia Frederika (°1883) and Ida Elisabeth (°1885) – are listed 

on the passenger list of the ship on which the family sailed to South Africa. Apparently the 

youngest daughter Maria Johanna (°1888) joined the family at a later date. The family 

photo of the Stultjes, during their stay in Pretoria, shows at least Jan and his three halfsisters.

Gerard had Jan's family name changed in 1909, possibly at the request of 

his wife who wished to see her historical family names continued: “[…] for the 

benefit of his minor son Jan Willem Stultjes […]” the family names “Grinwis 

Plaat” to add his name 2 . From now on he will be officially called Jan Willem 

Grinwis Plaat Stultjes, a long name that Jan will eagerly use. As an artist and 

as an actor, set or costume designer, he signs Jan Stultjes, Jan Plaat or Jan 

(sometimes Jean) Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (and all kinds of monogram 

variants) as if we were dealing 

with different artists. 

The Stultjes family returns to 

Europe not long after 1909 and 

stays in Amsterdam for a short 

time, before moving to Ghent in 

1911 3 . Father Gerard Stultjes was 

instructed to set up a 

department of an insurance 

company, the Amsterdamse 

Algemene Maatschappij van 

Levensverzekering en Lijfrente. 

2 

Document requested by the Ghent administration on the occasion of the marriage of Jan 

Stultjes and Jeanne Seriacop on 17/11/1917. To this day, the archive of the Grinwis Plaat 

Stultjes family contains a small document (by Jan?) with the explanation of the coats of 

arms and origin of the Plaat and Grinwis families. 

3 

The Personalausweis of Jan Grinwis Plaat Stultjes, delivered in 1917, states that he has been 

staying in Ghent since September 1, 1911.

Apparently, Jan received his school education partly in Pretoria, partly in the 

Netherlands and it was possibly continued in Ghent between 1911 and 1913. 

He is in any case referred to as a “student” when he enrols at the Ghent 

Academy: at the age of fifteen, Jan Stultjes registers for the Drawing class, 

fourth grade, at the Ghent Academy, school year 1913-1914 4 . His results show 

that Jan is talented: he comes second in his class after Gaston Pauwels 

(1897-1983) from Ghent 5 . Stultjes also 

came second for the art history 

lessons and received a 7 out of 10 for 

the anatomy course. The drawing class 

is led by Carolus Tremerie (1858-1945), 

a painter from Ghent who was best 

known for his paintings and pastels 

with beguinages as a subject. 

Tremerie's works initially show the 

influence of the French painter 

Bastien-Lepage, but around the turn of 

the century we see an evolution 

towards post-impressionism 

(luminism). 

Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes als veertienjarige 

4 

Ghent City Archives, ASK 307, IV.105 : « Section de Dessin 1913-1914 /Inscription d'élèves 1913- 

1914 », s.p. Stultjes is listed as a “student” with a secondary education diploma. The Stultjes 

family then resided at Citadellaan, 40 in Ghent. 

5 

Royal Academy of Fine Arts Ghent, Program of the Award Ceremony for the school year 

1913-1914, Ghent, October 1914. Jan receives the 2nd First Prize, after Gaston Pauwels, with 9/10 

of the points.

Jan Stultjes may still be taking art history lessons with Jean Delvin (1853- 

1922). These lessons with slides were very popular with young painters. After 

all, Delvin does not limit himself to discussing old art, but also highlights the 

modern art movements of the moment. He also speaks of the postimpressionists 

and of figures such as Picasso or Chagall. Delvin appears to 

have had an enormous influence on his students, and was idolized by them. 

The outbreak of World War I thoroughly disrupts daily and artistic life. During 

the war, the Ghent academy found it very difficult to organize lessons in a 

normal and regular manner. After all, many students and teachers are 

called up as soldiers. Sixteen-year-old Stultjes escapes the Belgian army 

service, because he still has the Dutch nationality. 

His good friend and very talented painter Maurice Martiny (1889-1914) is less 

fortunate. He was called up and was one of the first artists to die in 1914. One 

of the most beautiful works left by this now forgotten artist was a Fauvist 

portrait of his friend Jan Stultjes. 

Portrait of Jan by Maurice Martiny, Gent, June 1914

During the war years, 1914-1918, Jan seems to have taken no further lessons. 

However, because the academy archives for the period 1914-1918 are 

incomplete (certainly towards the end of the war), we cannot state this with 

certainty. 

Meanwhile, he is occupied with other things. In 1916, Jan receives a second 

prize from the “Nederlandsche Declamation” department of the Royal 

Conservatory of Music in Ghent 6 . Jan becomes a theatre enthusiast and 

from now on he will develop a double career, as a painter on the one hand 

and as an actor on the other. The artist unites both talents in his designs for 

sets, masks and costumes. 

6 

Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent, Prijskamp 1916, [Ghent], s.e., pp. 18-19. He took lessons 

there with Mrs. J. Gevaert-Steven, with whom he remained good friends. On May 3, 1924, he 

received two photos of her with a dedication.

Jeanne Seriacop and Jan at their marriage

Marriage to Jeanne Seriacop and the young painter. 

The Seriacop-De Ronne family was very well off. Doctor Edgard Seriacop 

(1856-1908) and his wife Alice de Ronne (1863-1941) – heiress of a chicory 

factory – had two children, Paul (1895-1915) and Jeanne (1897-1961). When 

Edgard died in 1908, his widow decided to move to the Coupure in Ghent, so 

she could closely monitor the day-to-day management of the chicory 

factory until her son was old enough to continue the business. Because Paul 

Seriacop died on December 11, 1915 along with more than 130 others in the 

explosion of an ammunition depot in Graville Le Havre, the family was 

deprived of son and successor. 

It is not clear how Jeanne Seriacop and Jan Stultjes meet. The Ghent haute 

bourgeoisie, to which Jeanne and her mother belong, is a small world. The 

families often intermarry. Jan is certainly a remarkable appearance, 1.84 

meters tall, handsome, confident and well-read. Maybe they knew each 

other through theatre? Maybe the respective parents knew each other? It is 

very likely that Alice De Ronne’s influence will have been decisive in her 

daughter's marriage to a young man with South African roots, who also 

shows 'artistic inclinations'. Jan's parents might also have been pushing him 

gently in the direction of financial security. The marriage of Jeanne and Jan 

in Ghent on November 17, 1917 (he is 19, she is 20) appears to have been 

arranged.

Jan would abandon his artistic 

ambitions and take over the 

management of the chicory 

factory. Jeanne Seriacop- 

Stultjes would be by his side. In 

any case, the photos from the 

early years of the marriage 

show a happy couple. The 

photos sometimes show a very 

natural, somewhat dishevelled 

Jeanne, who looks more like an 

artist's wife than a daughter of 

an industrialist. Jan never 

looks casual on the 

photographs, his poses are clearly studied, as befits an actor. 

First of all, at the age of twenty, Jan still has to fulfil his military service in The 

Hague. He is certainly in training in The Hague in April 1919, but it is not really 

clear how long he stayed there 7 . During his military service, Jan often visited 

Dutch relatives in The Hague. 

On January 23, 1920, Paul Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (1920-2006), the first son of 

Jan and Jeanne, is born. Jan Stultjes seems to accept the role of factory 

director. On July 31, 1922, another son, Eric (1922-1965), is born. 

7 

In Bonte M., Brysse A., Prevernier W., Storme M., Van Eenoo R., De Coupure in Ghent – 

Separation and Connection, Ghent, UGent, 2009, p. 286 it is mentioned that Jan, with the 

profession of "Factory director" left in 1918 on a mobilization order.

Jan Stultjes with sons 

Paul and Eric 

1922 will be a key 

year for Stultjes. He 

decides to give up 

running his in-laws' 

factory and reenrol 

at the Ghent Academy 8 . After an absence of almost 10 years, he 

resumes the thread of his artistic formation. In the 1922-1923 school year, his 

teachers included Oscar Coddron (1889-1960) as a painting/living model 

teacher. However, Coddron, a post-impressionist painter who was close 

friends with the most important artists from Ghent and the region around 

Sint-Martens-Latem and Deinze, seems to have had little influence on him. 

Stultjes comes third in both the painting class and composition. The 

following year Jan comes fourth in the painting class and second for 

composition. Jan has little contact with his fellow students, who also had 

little artistic significance – apart from Raphaël De Buck (1902-1986). His 

friendships within the Ghent art world all date back to before 1914. 

Jan Stultjes graduates in the year 1924-1925. He comes first in his class and 

also receives a second prize for composition. 

8 

According to Baillieu 2009, p. 4-5 Alice De Ronne sold the chicory factory in 1922 as a result 

of this decision.

In 1925 he wins the “Prix Jeanne Pipyn”, a prize awarded by the Academy to 

the most promising young painter in his year of graduation 9 . Stultjes' entry, a 

standing nude, is both classic and modern. 

By winning the Pipyn prize, Stultjes establishes his reputation as an 

upcoming talent. The prize ensures recognition among colleagues and 

collectors. However, after 1925, Jan does not really seem to come out with 

his art. The painter is gradually being supplanted by the actor. 

Jan Stultjes as a painter: evolution and importance. 

The training at the Ghent Academy just before and after the First World War 

was of a very high level. Jan seems to have learned the most from his short 

pre-war studies. Influential figures from the previous generation such as 

Jean Delvin, teach at the Academy, as well as young artists such as Frits 

Van den Berghe (1883-1939) and Carl de Cock (1879-1965). Van den Berghe, 

with whom Stultjes remains in contact even after the war, will become a 

guiding figure for Stultjes. In addition, the somewhat older 'compagnon de 

route' Gaston Pauwels seems to have supported the artist in his 

development. 

9 

Gand Artistique – Art et Esthétique, n° 5, May 1925, 4ième année, p. 116: “Prix Jeanne Pipyn. 

Le prix Jeanne Pipyn pour la peinture a été accordé cette année à M. J. W. Plaat-Stultjes 

[sic]. Les œuvres présentées au concours seront exposées au local de l’Académie Royale 

des Beaux Arts de Gand du 17 au 31 mai […] ». The winning work still belongs to the collection 

of the current KASK in Ghent.

Stultjes' early work from the period before 1920 is a mix between imitation of 

what was taught at the Ghent Academy and his own experiments. 

The earliest known works by Jan Stultjes we can situate in time are two small 

works. The first, a view of a Ghent street corner from 1913, seems to have 

been an academic assignment and is a conventional work in all respects. 

The second work is more interesting. The small panel shows a still life with a 

non-European fetish image on a table. Style and colour seem to be 

influenced by the French modernist school. Probably intended as an 

experiment and without direct consequences for his pre-war work, this work 

must have fascinated the artist. Stultjes kept the work and framed it, 

possibly he saw relevance in it for his later work. 

The young artist seeks inspiration from draftsmen such as Théophile- 

Alexandre Steinlen (1859- 

1923) or Ghent native Jules 

De Bruycker (1870-1945). 

Following them, Stultjes 

makes expressive 

(portrait) drawings that 

make his talent 

unmistakable.

However, Jan is also receptive to the influence of his fellow students. 

Maurice Martiny's intimate and very precise drawing style makes an 

indelible impression on him. Martiny, who died much too early, creates a 

mysterious atmosphere in his drawings by framing his seemingly everyday 

subjects in a specific way and drawing them out very precisely. For Stultjes, 

the composition, the 'mise-en-place' of the subject of his works will remain 

very important. We also see this in the photograph the artist made of his 

family. He will continue to use the drawing technique similar to Martiny’s 

style, for drawing landscapes and interiors. 

Gaston Pauwels is Jan's closest friend. They draw together, share studio and 

Jan Stultjes (left) at the studio of Gaston Pauwels (right)

models and apparently have the same aesthetic vision. They paint each 

other's portraits and Jan makes a beautiful portrait of Pauwels' wife. 

Especially in the first half of the 1920s, the work of the two painters is so close 

to each other that it sometimes becomes difficult to tell their works apart. 

They use almost the same colour palette, with warm reds predominating in 

the interiors and nudes. The painters experience a similar evolution, from 

Fauvism to Expressionism, but from the second half of the 1920s they arrive 

at a fundamentally different result. 

Pauwels is a master painter and colourist par excellence and likes to show 

this in his work. Georges Chabot writes about him: “Très tôt, il se manifeste 

beau peintre, en possession d'un métier sûr, épris d'harmonie, s'évertuant à 

donner à la couleur cet accent modulé qui rend le tableau sensible […]” 10 

In his work, Jan Stultjes is aware of the importance of the mise-en-scene, of 

building up a composition, and often consciously looks for an imbalance to 

create tension. A nude by Pauwels, for example, is voluptuous and sensual. 

However, this is not the case with the standing nude with which Stultjes won 

the Pipyn Prize in 1925. Through compositional interventions, Stultjes almost 

pushes us as spectators into the role of voyeur. The mysterious character of 

the work raises questions in the viewer. 

The standing nude speaks of Stultjes' maturity as an artist. In addition to his 

'prouesse' as a painter, this was undoubtedly the main reason for awarding 

him the "Prix Jeanne Pipyn". 

10 

Chabot G., Gaston Pauwels in Gand Artistique – Art et Esthétique, Août 1929, Huitième 

Année, n° 8, p. 184.

This award had a clear modernist profile. In 

this way, the Academy tried to give 

expressionist painting a boost. Laureates of 

the prize, awarded since 1920, included the 

painters Hubert Malfait (1898-1971) in 1922, Jan 

Mulder (1897-1962) in 1923, Jos Verdegem 

(1897-1957) in 1926, Gaston Pauwels in 1929 

and Jeanne Van Cauwenberghe (1907-1941), 

painter and sculptress, in 1931. These artists 

were all active within the Ghent Expressionist 

painting movement. 

Jan Stultjes and Gaston Pauwels evolved towards Expressionism in the 

second half of the 1920s, like many of their contemporaries. Artists such as 

Jules De Sutter (1895-1970), Hubert Malfait and Maurice Schelck (1906-1978) 

made beautiful works in expressionist style in the period 1925-1930, following 

in the footsteps of Permeke (1886-1952), Gust de Smet (1877-1943 ) or Frits 

Van den Berghe. 

Stultjes and Pauwels, like their contemporaries, feel more for the reasoned, 

rather literary expressionism of Frits Van den Berghe than for the earthy and 

monumental violence of Permeke. Probably around 1927-1929, the first 

expressionist drawings and graphics began to appear in Stultjes' work. 

Pauwels' expressionist works were first shown at an exhibition in 1928 at 

Galerie Billiet in Ghent. To date, we have not yet discovered any 

expressionist oil work by Stultjes, only works on paper.

While Stultjes' pastels are technically close to those of Pauwels, their 

subjects are very different 11 . The subjects seem very commonplace and are 

magnified as a solitary given, giving them an alienating character. Solicited 

compositions evoke a charged atmosphere, and together with a specific 

representation of light and matter, the lack of interaction between objects 

or figures is emphasized. His objects and people seem to house a kindred 

soul. 'l'Ame des Choses', as it is also found in the work of Symbolist artists 

and, for example, Edward Hopper (also a favourite of Gaston Pauwels). 

11 

See, among others, Pauwels Gaston, 'Homme et femme unis pour le charme', a pastel 

from 1928 from the former Jules Van Gheluwe collection, depicted in Gand Artistique 8e 

année Juillet 1929, n° 7, A. Cavens et M. Deruelle, Gaston Pauwels, p. 187

Photographs studio J.W.Plaat Stultjes, ca. 1921

Stultjes' expressionist work, and especially his graphic work, shows the 

influence of Frits Van den Berghe. Stultjes knew the artist personally and 

visited the exhibitions of his work 12 . Like Van den Berghe, he tried to build his 

expressionist work around a narrative theme. The 'Bilder der Grossstadt' by 

Gentenaar Frans Masereel may also have influenced his new works. 

Moreover, it is not inconceivable that the revival of woodcarving, with 

Masereel and the other artists of “De Vijf” as the main epigones 13 , among 

others, made Stultjes turn to the medium of the graphic arts. 

However, the flourishing of a distinctly modernist art and cultural 

environment in the second half of the 1920s is short-lived. The crisis that 

unfolds in 1929 and peaks in Belgium around 1932-1933, creates a real 

battlefield among art galleries and magazines. Many artists get into trouble. 

Contracts with galleries are breached and most collectors of modern art 

find themselves in financially difficult waters. The only hope of a steady 

income for artists is an appointment as a teacher at an academy or at a 

public institution. Another option is to change mediums – some artists take 

up advertising design or turn to design for furniture or applied art. Many, 

such as Gaston Pauwels or Hubert Malfait, abandon modernism completely 

or temporarily and return to a more classical style of painting that still 

appears to be selling. Some, like Victor Servranckx (1897-1965) do both to 

survive. Still others leave Ghent. 

12 

Jan Stultjes owned the catalogue of the exhibition of Frits Van den Berghe in the Galerie 

Epoque in Brussels in 1928. 

13 

The Five – Les Cinq, were the brothers Jozef and Jan-Frans Cantré, Joris Minne, Henri Van 

Straeten and Frans Masereel. See exhibition catalogue L. Lebeer (introduction), The five : Jan 

Cantré, Jozef Cantré, Frans Masereel, Joris Minne, Henri van Straten, Brussels, Koninklijke 

Bibliotheek Albert I, 1/07-25/08/1967

This economic reality may have been a reason for Jan Stultjes to become 

more involved in the theatre world. He had already been active for several 

years in the Ghent theatre world, which at that time may have offered more 

perspectives than a career as a painter.

The importance of graphics in Stultjes' oeuvre. 

As already mentioned, the graphic oeuvre of Jan Stultjes occupies a very 

important place in his artistic legacy. Although limited in number - we know 

of only 13 different executed prints by the artist - their quality and modernity 

make them some of his most important work. 

It is possible that Stultjes first experimented with etching. We found a total of 

5 engraved zinc plates. The subjects: a landscape, an intimate interior with a 

chair, a portrait of a woman in a chair and a portrait of men and women 

are in line with his drawings. However, we could not find contemporary prints 

of these plates. 

It seems that afterwards Stultjes only made relief prints. It is not really clear 

which technique he used, but it may be so-called 'spoon printing'. The prints 

always seem to have been made in a very limited edition. They are often 

unnumbered, two editions are numbered of 7 copies, a single linocut bears 

the words 'exemplaire unique' in pencil. Remarkable is the use of blue ink for 

printing these works. Stultjes turned many prints into miniature paintings by 

colouring them, making them unique again. 

The subjects are reminiscent of those of Masereel and the German 

Expressionist artists, with typical images that keep recurring in the 1920s and 

1930s: a fashionable couple out, a man in a library with an expressionist 

perspective, a clown, a man and woman in evening dress, figures on a 

terrace of a café in the city, …

It is clear that the artist gets to the essence of his art in his graphic work. By 

omitting superfluous details, Stultjes creates, as it were, expressionist 

miniatures, often picturing introvert people, solitary objects, silent 

landscapes.. 

Stultjes' graphics are undated. However, we suspect that three larger prints 

are later than the smaller expressionist prints. A reclining nude, a sleeping 

child (possibly son Eric?) and a self-portrait in profile deviate from the group 

discussed above. In these large prints, and certainly in the two portraits, the 

line is all-determining. An influence from Picasso seems to be present.

The Man of a Thousand Faces…

As already mentioned, Jan Stultjes has been involved in theatre since 1916, 

probably as an amateur player, in addition to his activities as a painter. This 

seems to change from 1925-1926, when Stultjes seems to be considering a 

career as a professional actor. 

The first time his name is mentioned in connection with sets and costumes 

is for the play 'Beatrijs', which is first performed on August 14, 1924 14 . In the 

program booklet of the performance in March 25, in which Stultjes is 

mentioned as responsible for the set, he is still described as 'connected to 't 

Koninklijk Nederlandsch Tooneel in Ghent'. 

Jan also makes a large number of costume designs for the piece 'Elckerlyck', 

which was performed by the 'Vlaamsch Volkstoneel' in St-Niklaas on August 

30, 1925. However, we do not know if Stultjes' designs are executed this time, 

nor if he is already part of the group. In any case, his designs are noticed by 

several critics, not least by eminent art critic Karel Van de Woestijne, who 

writes the following about the exhibition of some designs in Brussels at 

Galerie de Spectacles in 1925: 

“[…] Ook van Beatrijs hangen daar decor- en costuum-ontwerpen van 

de hand van J. Grinwis Plaat-Stultjens. Hier geldt bijna het 

tegenovergestelde van de bij Maes' teekeningen gemaakte 

opmerking; het decor van Beatrijs, zooals wij het zagen te Gent, was 

14 

In 1925, Stultjes made designs for the stage set and costumes of 'Beatrijs' (the set was 

reportedly based on Herman Van Overbeke's instructions), for a later performance on 1 and 

2 March 1925. This was probably his first assignment for the Vlaamsch Volkstoneel. For an 

illustration of this, see Lode Monteyne, Spiegel van het Modern Tooneel in Vlaanderen, 

Antwerp, Jos. Janssens, 1929, outside text plate relative to p. 96 & Willem Putman, Tooneel- 

Groei, St-Baafs-Brugge, Excelsior, 1926, plates 33-35, p. 272,273,288. This author mentions on 

p. 328 that Stultjes' designs were indeed executed.

mooier dan het ontwerp. Dat J. Grinwis Plaat-Stultjens echter we1 iets 

kan, bewijst hij in de fijn genuanceerde costuums voor Elckerlyck, 

waarvan eene vertooning door het "Gentsch Verbond voor Katholiek 

Tooneel" wordt voorbereid. In die teekeningen bekoort een nietgezochte 

naïeveteit, die bij de inkleeding van laatstgenoemd stuk 

uitstekend past.” 15 

In 1926, according to Monteyne, he is a member of the new '(Catholic) 

Vlaamsch Volkstoneel' led by the Dutchman – and therefore fellow 

countryman - Johan De Meester Jr. (1897-1986) 16 . In addition to his 

reputation as a womanizer, De Meester is held in great regard and respect 

in the (inter)national theatre world. He renews the old-fashioned Flemish 

theatre by focusing on daring expressionist sets and costumes in 

collaboration with well-known and lesser-known artists. The expressive use 

of lighting and the playing of modern pieces is also unseen. In this way, De 

Meester tries to connect with modern German and Russian theatre. In a 

short time he has succeeded in making a fusion between modern theatre, 

contemporary literature and avant-garde art. It is therefore not surprising 

that Stultjes quickly feels at home in this world. 

15 

Karel Van De Woestijne, An exhibition of stage sets, costumes and props in the Galerie de 

'Spectacles'. The Theater du Mairais. The Flemish Theater. The tradition of the 

Muntschouwburg. The avant-garde scene. in Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant ( N.R.C.), 30 

September 1925 

16 

See Monteyne 1929, p. 17 (footnote)

Stultjes designs sets and costumes, but is invariably referred to as an actor 

in the group's lists, in contrast to, for example, Victor Servranckx, Karel Maes 

and Alfred Ost, who belong to the 'artistic section' 17 . 

Stultjes is praised several times for his acting. For example, in the 1929 play 

'Barabbas' by M. De Ghelderode, he is praised for his interpretation of 

'Caïphas' 18 . One of the highlights of his career undoubtedly is the 

performance of "Lucifer" at the "Théâtre des Champs Elysées" in 1927, where 

he plays the role of "Belial". This performance will definitively establish the 

international reputation of the 'Vlaamsch Volkstoneel' and of De Meester 19 . 

Stultjes uses his creativity not only to make designs for costumes and sets. 

He is also known as 'the man with a thousand faces', due to his talent for 

make-up and mask-making, which allows him to transform himself into 

anyone, much to the delight of the public but also of himself, as evidenced 

by the many photos he took of his disguises. 

Johan De Meester Jr. leaves the ‘Vlaamsch Volkstooneel’ for Amsterdam 

around 1928-29. The theater group ends up in a difficult period, not least 

because of the financial crisis, which is gradually undermining the financing 

of cultural life. In 1930, a number of actors leaves the group permanently for 

financial reasons and Stultjes may have left a little earlier, after all, in a 

newspaper article following his death, his arrival in South Africa is situated in 

November 1929. 

17 

See Dr. C. Godelaine, Het Vlaamsche Volkstooneel, Antwerpen, Davidsfonds, 1939, p. 72 

(footnote) 

18 

See Godelaine 1939, p. 83 

19 

Leo Persyn, newspaper article: De Triomf van ‘Lucifer’ te Parijs (1927) behaald door het 

Vlaamsche Volkstooneel, in De Standaard, 17/08/1977

Jan Stultjes 'a born Afrikaner with a European academic 

foundation', 1929-1934. 

Jan W. Plaat Stultjes in Zuid-Afrika, 1934. 

Jan leaves for Pretoria at the beginning of November 1929 at the latest. De 

Meester's departure to the Netherlands and the drama group's financial 

problems may have been a factor, as was the difficult relationship with his 

wife and mother-in-law. And apparently Stultjes' arrival in Cape Town is

news. A journalist friend publishes an interview, he apparently knows Jan 

from the past, and the article is picked up by De Standaard 20 . In the article 

by Die Burger, the journalist discusses Stultjes' training as a painter and 

stage actor and the success that Stultjes enjoyed in Europe. Curiously 

enough, Stultjes seems to be talking more about painting than about acting. 

He shows the journalist in question drawings and when asked what exactly 

he is going to paint in South Africa, Stultjes answers: 

“First look at the landscape and the people to refresh my memory of South 

Africa. And then work, work a lot” 

Unfortunately we have not come across any paintings, graphics or drawings 

from his South African period. South African. It is therefore not clear if Jan 

really has been working a lot as a painter in his native country. We are also 

not aware of any exhibitions of his work held there. 

Around 1930 we hear from Stultjes again, who has meanwhile Frenchified his 

first name to Jean. He founds 'Die Plaat-Stultjes Geselskap' and tries to 

introduce modern theatre in South Africa. The theatre company tours South 

Africa and gradually acquires a good reputation with critics, colleagues and 

the public. Fellow actor André Hugenet – the Laurence Olivier of South Africa 

– praises Stultjes' talent as a director and especially as a grime artist and 

set designer 21 . 

The Stultjes company plays local and European pieces. A number of titles: 

'the Letter from the Blind Mother', 'Toorheksie van Geluk', 'Die Kaartjieknipper ', 

20 

Jan Plaat Stultjes schildert in Pretoria in De Standaard, 27 december 1929, based on an 

article in Die Burger, Capetown, 9/11/1929. 

21 

Plaat Stultjes overleden in De Standaard, 2 April 1935.

'Arm Mans Rykdom', 'East Lynne', 'Wania', 'Die Teken van die Kruis', 'In die kloue 

of Satan' and 'Motherless' 22 . 

Jean Stultjes even plays a leading role in the film 'Moedertjie' in 1931, where 

he plays alongside Elsa Fouché, an actress who later becomes famous, 

mentioned by Hugenet in the 1935 article as Stultjes' second-in-command 

and support and engaged to be married to him. 

Unfortunately Jean/Jan Stultjes dies unexpectedly, as a result of pneumonia, 

while the company is on tour in Vanrhynsdorp on September 22, 1934. He is 

buried in Pretoria on September 26. On his tombstone is the epitaph 'Ek miss 

jou baie mijn "Stijl"'. Stultjes is just under 36 years old. 

22 

Internet, https://esat.sun.ac.za/index.php/Jean_Plaat-Stultjes, consulted 7/11/2022.

Catalogue

1. Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (Pretoria 1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934) 

The couple 

Relief print on paper 

Signed B.L.. 

10 x 11 cm (day measure)


The couple 

Hand coloured relief print on paper 

Signed B.L. 



The couple 


Signed B.L. 



The fortune teller 


Signed B.L. with mention of: ‘exemplaire unique’ 

14 x 14,5 cm (day measure)

The clown 


Signed B.R. 

24 x 12 cm (day measure) 

5. Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (Pretoria 1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934)

The clown 

Hand coloured relief print on 

paper 

24 x 12 cm (day measure) 

6. Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (Pretoria 1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934)


The terrace 


Signed B.R. 

Justified 4/7 

14,5 x 12 cm (day measure)


The terrace 


Signed B.R. 

Justified 2/7 



The writer 


Signed B.R.. 

Justified 1/7 



The writer 


Signed B.R. 

Justified 6/7 



The monks 


Signed B.R. 



Two figures 


Signed B.R. 


13 Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (Pretoria 1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934) 

Reclining nude 


Signed B.R. 



Sleep 


Signed B.R. 

22 x 28 cm (dagmaat)


Three faces 


Signed B.R. 

12;5 x 19,5 cm (day measure)


Profile (self portrait) 


Signed B.R. 

24,4 x 19,5 cm (day measure)


Self portrait 

Pencil on paper 



The conversation 


Signed with the monogram in the left shoe 



Love 


Signed B.L. 


20. Verso 

20. Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes 

Portrait study 



(Pretoria 1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934) 

20. Recto 

Red robin 


Signed B.L. 



The bench 

Watercolour and charcoal on paper 

Signed B.L. 



Reverie 

Pastel on paper 

Signed B.R. 



Self portrait 

Watercolour on paper 

Signed B.L. 



The bowler hat 

Charcoal on paper 

Signed B.R. with monogram 

Dated 5/15 with mention ‘Gent’ 



The pots 

Ink on paper 

Signed B.L. 



The boy with the felt hat 


Signed B.R. with stylised monogram 



The table, evening 


Signed B.L. with monogram 

Dated ‘juli 1923’ (July 1923) 



At the table 


Signed B.R. 



The refuge 

Watercolour and pencil on paper 

Signed B.L. 

Dated September 1923 



The old garden 


Signed B.R. 



The haystack 


Signed B.L. 



The closed railway 


Signed B.R. 



Riverboat 




The chair 




Cactus 




Tranquillity (man reading) 




Tranquillity (woman reading) 




Profile (nude) 


Signed B.R. 

32,5,5 x 28,5 cm (day measure)


Reverie (sitting girl) 




The crocheting 




Reverie (lady in seat) 




Profile study 




Profile study 




Lady in the drawing room 

Oil on canvas on cardboard 

Signed and dated ‘sept. 1923’ T.L. 

Dated Aug. Sept. 1923 B.L. 

71,5 x 57,5 cm

45. Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (Pretoria 

1898 - Vanrhynsdorp 1934) 

Anemones 

Oil on canvas 

36 x 44,5 cm


The harbour 

Oil on canvas 

46,5 x 72,5 cm


Golgotha, 1921 

Oil on canvas 

Signed B.R. 

Dated ‘1921’ on the stretcher 

39,5 x 49,5 cm 

The painting belongs to a private collection. 

It takes pride of place in the photograph below, which Jan Stultjes took in his studio.


Costume design, possibly for ‘Elcerlyc’ (a 15 th century theatre play) 

Mixed media on paper 



Costume design for ‘Elcerlyc’ (a 15 th century theatre play) 


Signed, dated 1924 






























A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s 

The authors would like to thank Mrs Katia Ballegeer, librarian archivist of the Kunstenarchief 

Hogeschool Gent School of Arts KASK & Conservatorium, Ms Bea Baillieu and the Grinwis 

Plaat Stultjes family, without whose cooperation this project could never have been 

completed. Our special thanks go out to Mr. Patrick Grinwis Plaat Stultjes for opening up his 

archive and for drawing our attention to numerous new facts and interesting tidbits. His 

enthusiasm has proved to be contagious

P l e a s e n o t e : 

The supplementary documentary photographs or documents are not for sale, unless 

otherwise stated. 

Dimensions are noted as: height x width x depth and in centimetres. 

Please contact us for prices. 

We can provide you with additional information through photographs or video chat. 

We can provide you with specific shipping quotes. Works can also be collected at the 

gallery or delivered by us at your doorstep. 

Upon request, we can provide a preliminary condition report, but please bear in mind that 

we are not professional restorers and that we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy 

of our assessment of the condition of a work. If needed, a professional restorer can be 

asked to make a condition report, however this will not be free of charge 

C o l o p h o n 

This online catalogue was made to accompany the exhibition Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes 

in 2022. . All works are for sale. 

Text and research: Raf Steel and Emmy Steel 

Editing and photography:: Raf Steel and Emmy Steel 

Copyright: Galerie St-John, the authors and the artists. 

Copyright for photograph of the painting by Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes, Nude, 1925 (Pipyn 

prize): Kunstenarchief Hogeschool Gent School of Arts KASK & Conservatorium 

No part of this publication may be reproduced and / or published by means of print, 

photocopy, electronic medium or any other method (including translation) without the 

prior written permission of the authors. 

The publisher has done its utmost to request permission to all possible right holders 

regarding the use of (visual) material for this online publication. If we have overlooked 

something, please contact us. Any errors will be corrected in a subsequent issue.

Buying and selling of Arts and Antiques 

Appraisals - Expertises - Exhibitions 

Estates - Libraries - Inheritances 

Collector’s and Artist’s Archives 

Advice on partitioning, conservation of works of art 

Collection management, Development of Collection Exhibitions 

st-john.be 

Galerie St-John 

Bij St-Jacobs 15A / Nieuwpoort 2 (gps) 

B-9000 Gent – Belgium 

T. +32-9/225.82.62 

info@st-john.be 

facebook.com/galeriestjohn 

instagram.com/galeriestjohngent 

OPEN: 

Do 14u-18u Thu 

Vr, Za 10u-12u & 14u-18u Fr, Sa 

Zo 10u-12u Su 

Ma, Di na afspraak 

Mo, Tu . by appointment

Jan W. Grinwis Plaat Stultjes (1898-1934) a South African artist in Gent

Transformez vos PDF en papier électronique et augmentez vos revenus !

Delete template?

Save as template ?