Since my retirement I started painting myself [ ≡ ‣ Direct link to my ℙaintings ]. I got more interested in the succesful Dutch painters from centuries ago. Much longer ago I got interested in politics. In this century this interest got strong new boosts from 9/11 and the murder of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn… Continue reading About thís Old Dutch Painter
Really, Types of Population Pyramids?
The nonsense of drawing a Population Pyramid of a shrinking population: that’s what this article is about. There have been population explosions in many countries. But it cannot be emphasized often enough: there is no question of a worldwide population explosion nowadays. In a number of countries, the population is already shrinking – in some… Continue reading Really, Types of Population Pyramids?
Quick experiment: chalk on black paper

Last week I mentioned I was going to participate in a four-day painting workshop by one of the best, if not the best traditional artisan painter in the Netherlands. Due to coincidental circumstances just today -for the first time in my life- I made this drawing with chalk on black paper. It was surprisingly educational: partly thanks to… Continue reading Quick experiment: chalk on black paper
No station clock

Not a station clock but a special hint to the passage of time for me. In the last years of my mother’s life her eyesight continued to deteriorate, I inherited the thing after her death. I nowadays use the clock in an exercise to improve my own eyesight: switching accomodation between a raised finger and… Continue reading No station clock
Holocaust Remembrance Day & the Concept of Chosenness
Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. A day that reminds of one of the most horrible episodes of recent human history and to one of the most beautiful aspects of Jewish culture: commemorating every individual. The reason for making this video is twofold. Last Christmas, literally on Christmas Day, I wrote what I thought was a… Continue reading Holocaust Remembrance Day & the Concept of Chosenness
Mona Lisa + Minerva = Monerva

In the catalog I made for the first exhibition of my oil paintings, I wrote that the first painting I made this century was a quick ‘Van Gogh self-portrait‘ (see below) in gouache.It wasn’t until after that exhibition that I realized that wasn’t quite right. I made the painting ‘Monerva‘ of which you see a… Continue reading Mona Lisa + Minerva = Monerva
More (post) impressionism?

Soon I will have the honor to participate in a four-day painting workshop by Cornelis Le Mair. One of the best, if not the best traditional artisan painter in the Netherlands. He has been painting for more than half a century and demonstrates and teaches the technique of the old masters. Those other kind of… Continue reading More (post) impressionism?
Botanic behaviour: the Monstera Deliciosa
Only those who viewed a considerable number of videos from this Old Dutch Painter could have seen it coming: a video with observations and experiments with this special house plant, Monstera Deliciosa, especially its aerial roots. And yes: its fruit is edible but you have to be careful!To be honest I never had the privilege… Continue reading Botanic behaviour: the Monstera Deliciosa
Using the United Nations to fight homeschooling in your country
Under the leadership of minister Arie Slob, member of an explicitly christian party, the Dutch cabinet launched a frontal attack on homeschooling. A closer look at the lines along which this attack is taking place is also very instructive for other dossiers. The most concrete part of the bill, which provides for “additional regulations to… Continue reading Using the United Nations to fight homeschooling in your country
Primary sources in studying history
Link to my e-book Link to the Long Text: Link to the Observation (The very little known Atatürk) About the Sivas Massacre About Enver Pasha’s reburial in 1996 Erdogan praising Enver Pasha in 2020
Elephants in courtrooms–IV; The case Erbakan vs Turkey
For decades now, Islam is growing stronger in Turkey. ‘European’ judicial activism contributed to this. Necmettin Erbakan (1926–2011), founder of Millî Görüş [1], former prime minister and mentor to Erdowahn, was one of the main forces behind the re-Islamization of Turkey. In 2006 a group of judges from the European Court of Human Rights –… Continue reading Elephants in courtrooms–IV; The case Erbakan vs Turkey