Dreven, Maarten van

Maarten van DREVEN (Sneek, 1941 - 2001) Maarten van Dreven was an inspiring teacher at the Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem (ABKA) for many years. Maarten Antonie van Dreven was born on 12 July 1941 in Sneek and died on 7 February 2001 in The Hague. He studied at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague with, among others, Co Westerik. Together with the young artists he got to know through the academy, Pat Andrea, Peter Blokhuis, Walter Nobbe and Jurjen de Haan, he is considered one of The Hague's "New Realists". Maarten van Dreven and his friend Jurjen de Haan were the representatives of photorealism (hyperrealism). With his colourful portraits, motorbike riders and poetic associations, Jurjen de Haan evoked an imaginative, reckless world, in which the bright Cobra colours met the Hague grey palette. Maarten van Dreven, just like Jurjen de Haan, prefers to work in large format, with silent masks and body protectors as subjects, elaborated in extremely careful drawings. His background as a fashion designer is clearly evident.