Although Willem's father Willem Ferdinand Vaarzon Morel, a land surveyor, didn't aspire a career as a painter, he had a profound admiration for the Fine Arts and music. Born on 9 August 1868, Willem grew up in an artistic family with grandfather Isaac Vaarzon Morel (1807-1876) who was a painter. Aside of this two of his sisters married artists (Ferdinanda married Klaas van Leeuwen (1867-1935) and Frederike married Pieter Dupont (1870-1911) and his brother François also had an artistic career. The warm savoir-vivre family life higly contributed to Willem's career, becoming a passionate and carefree bohémien.
Willem received his first training at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten Amsterdam (Royal Academy of Arts Amsterdam) from director prof. August Allebé (1838-1927) who also introduced him to connaisseurs like Victor de Stuers (1843-1916). At the Academy he studied with George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923) who he greatly admired and Pieter Dupont who became his soulmate. In 1892 he completed his studies after which he settled in Haarlem. His first achievement was as a successful illustrator for which he acclaimed fame and was known as the most successful young artist on illustration before 1900. He collaborated with Pieter Dupont and Martin Monnickendam (1874-1943) at the Jeruzalem-Panorama in Amsterdam, commissioned by the Bible Museum Amsterdam.
Vaarzon Morel and Dupont stayed in Paris for half a year, a visit which would highly influence the careers of both artists. Here Willem met Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923), one of his greatly admired artists. Willem often visited Artis Zoo in Amsterdam to draw animals and in 1898 he was asked to make the illustrations to M.J. Brusse's Een dierenkolonie in een groote stad (An animal colony in a big city). The publication describes Rotterdam Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam Animal Zoo Blijdorp), though the illustrations were largely based on his drawings made in Artis Zoo in Amsterdam.
In 1899 Willem married Pietertje Hendrika de Jong. In the consecutive years, his sister Ferdinanda married Klaas van Leeuwen and Frederike married Pieter Dupont. The couple moves to Arnhem in 1901-02 where both sons Willem and Marcelis were born. The family moves to Oosterbeek where Petronella was born in 1903. In 1910 the family finally moves to Veere on the initiative of artist Lucie van Dam van Isselt (1871-1949), by then the wife of Albert Plasschaert (1874-1941) whom Willem had a great aversion to. In 1918 Emile (after Emile Zola) was born, who would become the most beloved child of the family.
In Veere De Werf became their family house and Den Spiegel Willem's studio. This didn't last long, due to the outbreak of WWI, and Père and Mère (the Vaarzon Morels were utmost French minded, hence their (grand)children called them Père and Mère) and the family moved to Den Spiegel as De Werf was requisitioned by the army as a lookout post. After the War, the family's financial situation became challenging, as both Willem and Pietertje were raised in well to do families and their family fortunes had run out, now depending on Willem's sale of pictures. Contrary to the harmonious optimistic Mère, Père had a free-spirited and moody personality (possibly partly due to a white lead poisoning), which didn't make things easier in those days. During WWII Den Spiegel was confiscated by the German occupier and the family moved to Amsterdam where Mère died on the 6th of May 1945, one day before the German capitulation. Père and Miek (their youngest son) moved back to Veere. Vaarzon Morel died in 1955 in nursing home Der Boede in Koudekerke.
This recently discovered drawing takes a unique position in the artist's oeuvre, as no other Symbolist drawings by Vaarzon Morel have been recorded. It may be regarded as the highlight of Willem's most successful part and era in the artist's career as a draughtsman and made shortly prior to his most famous drawings to Een dierenkolinie in een groote stad. Vaarzon Morel was known to draw after nature, with the exception of his illustrations to Uit het wonderland, vertellingen uit de 1001 nacht by H.J. Krebbers and J. Stamperius, published in 1900. The unique choice of subject most probably inspired by his visits to Paris, where his close friend Pieter Dupont shared a studio with Martin Monnickendam in 1896.[2]
The female figure on the top center of this utmost curious drawing appears to be Maria Catharina Swanenburg (Leiden 1839-1915 Gorinchem), known as Goeie Mie or the Leidse Gifmengster, a female serial killer from The Netherlands. She reappears again in the crowd on the right, seen in profile. She's mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records for being the biggest poison serial killer in history.
The influence of James Ensor (1860-1949) is obvious, based on the crowdy swarming mass of figures with numerous grotesque faces, often seen in Ensor's oeuvre. The central theme of the drawing is St. George (bleeding from his crown of thorns, a self-invented and added symbol of Christianity) slaying the dragon, which has been transformed into a Cerberus with three snake heads instead of dog heads. Unleashed upon mankind from beneath it's wings by the Devil, the Cerberus divides humanity into a group of mostly virtuous and noble persons on the right (a King, lawyer, dignitaries and well to do ladies among which Maria Swanenburg pops-up again on the left of the crowned King facing or even kissing the Cerberus) and the downfall of mankind on the left.
Under the necks and bodies of the Cerberus grotesque heads seem to hide with malicious intent while St. George fiercely fights the three dragon heads. On the left of the Cerberus an evil soul seems to be drowning in despair with on the far left acts of slavery and hard labour, depicting Purgatory and doom. The lower freeze stacked with skulls and hands clasping roosters, thus preventing it from crowing for deceit. The upper freeze shows a line-up of policemen, dignitaries, Maria Swanenburg, a priest, lawyers and clergymen and a goofy figure who seems to depict Hanswurst where the malicious Black Cat replaces the symbol of a sausage referring to Hanswurst, which originates from Sebastian Brant's Ship of Fools (Das Narrenschiff or Stultifera Navis from 1494). Finally the air is filled with bats and flying black cats symbolising the mischievous nature of mankind amidst of all a Hindu Goddess seeks to find peace of mind.
The drawing was preserved in the artist's estate and has been kept in the family by descent until 2024.
[1] Ad Beenhakker, Vaarzon Morel: een schildersfamilie.
Uitgeverij den Boer/de Ruiter. Vlissingen - Middelburg, 2003.
[2] W. F. Dupont, Pieter Dupont: een Nederlandsch graveur; zijn leven en werken,
Oisterwijk 1947, p. 41
