INGRID DE YOUNG
PAINTED ART
Art by Ingrid de Jong
Pummetje
Olieverf op board, 40x50 cm
Pummetje felt very honored. At the age of 72, he was still allowed to pose as a painter's model for a whole group of ladies. He had no idea that we felt very honored by him. He was therefore a welcome village figure in Blaricum all his life. A small, humble man, who may have been somewhat limited physically, but nevertheless always busy with the farming business. When you encountered him in the village, it was always on his characteristic bicycle with a trailer. On it were some large zinc milk cans rattling when he went to milk the cows on the land. Always dressed in blue overalls, alpino cap and clogs. My school was opposite his farm, so I saw him cycling regularly. At the time there was no one who did not know Pummetje and everyone knew him as such. His real name was Jantje Rigter Gzn., but real village figures simply had a nickname. An almost extinct phenomenon that more or less symbolizes the life of that time. It was not difficult to portray him, because he was a quiet man. He sat there for hours on end with his large hands relaxed on his lap. His face also had unmistakable features, which soon allowed his personality to express itself. We had the opportunity to capture Pummetje on canvas for eternity in two sessions. Two sessions in which he enjoyed all the female attention and we enjoyed the privilege of having his striking appearance as a model.
15 years later he was buried on his milk cart.