Sjoerd de Roosartist • painter • watercolourist • draughtsmanSmallingerland 1877-1962 Haarlem

The painter-designer-typographer Sjoerd de Roos played an important role in the renewal of the applied arts in the Netherlands around 1900. Based on his socialist vision of life, he wanted to make his artistry subservient to the people. Taking the artists of the British Arts and Crafts movement as an example, he was mainly involved in the design of utensils, furniture, book covers and stamps. From 1900 he was also associated with the famous home furnishing studio Het Binnenhuis in Amsterdam, founded by H.P. Berlage. In 1912, De Roos was the first Dutchman in 150 years to design a new print letter: the 'Hollandse Mediaeval'. He then designed 12 more block letters. As a free artist, De Roos preferred painting and drawing landscapes, in which light plays an important role.