Reynold Henry Weidenaar (1915-1985) was an artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan, recognized nationally as well as locally for his technical virtuosity as a draftsman and printmaker. He embraced the subject matter and realism of American Regionalist art, though his depictions of the American Scene reflect a uniquely personal, often satirical perspective. Weidenaar is especially known for his mezzotint prints, particularly those of architectural subjects, such as the construction of the Mackinac Bridge.
November 17, 1915 - Reynold Henry Weidenaar was born to Dirk Weidenaar and Effie Kuiper Weidenaar in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1927 - He and his mother Effie and sister Jeanne begin to spell their last name Weidener (see Grand Rapids City Directory 1927).
1930s - Attends Christian High School and Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids.
1935-1936 - Attends David Wolcott Kendall School of Art (now Kendall College of Art and Design), for a one-year period, plus four terms of evening classes.
June 1938 – Wins first prize in painting for Kansas City Art Institute National High School Competition.
June 1938 – Graduates from George A. Davis Vocational and Technical High School, Grand Rapids.
May 1940 – Spends one week in Chicago receiving instruction in etching and printing techniques from Bertha Jaques and James Swann.
March 1941 – His etchings Evening Storm and Marketplace II are acquired by the Library of Congress, chosen from the Society of American Etchers Exhibition in New York.
October 1941 – Solo exhibition of etchings at the Grand Rapids Art Gallery.
March 2–31, 1941 – Solo exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum, Division of Graphic Arts.
May 1943 – Changes spelling of his name back to Weidenaar.
January 1966 - One man show of watercolors at the Grand Rapids Art Gallery.
1970 - Authors and illustrates book on West Michigan, Our Changing Landscape.
1980 - Co-authors and illustrates A Sketchbook of Michigan, with Anne Zeller.
1981 - Solo exhibition at Martin Sumers Graphics, New York.
November 1983 – Retrospective exhibition at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, “Reynold Weidenaar: Dutch Master of Grand Rapids.”
November 1983 - Retrospective exhibition at Hefner’s Art Gallery, Grand Rapids.
1985 - Dies of cardiac arrest at age 69.
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References
Weidenaar, Reynold H. “The Forgotten Art of Mezzotint.” American Artist. September 1948.
Weidenaar, Reynold H. “Printmaker into Watercolorist.” American Artist 28, no. 9 (November 1964), p.36+.
Beall, Karen F. American Prints In the Library of Congress: A Catalog of the Collection. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1970.
Weidenaar, Reynold H., with Anne Zeller. A Sketchbook of Michigan. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980.
Sweeney, J. Gray. Artists of Grand Rapids, 1840–1980. Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids Art Museum and Grand Rapids Public Museum, 1981.
Wolff, Theodore F. “Art that is Small, Intimate, and Black and White.” Christian Science Monitor. February 5, 1981.
Falk, Peter Hastings. Who Was Who in American Art. Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1985.
Wax, Carol. The Mezzotint: History and Technique. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1990.
Buckner, Cindy Medley, et. al. Reynold Weidenaar: A Retrospective. With a Catalogue Raisonné of the Prints. Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids Art Museum, 2015.
Grand Rapids Art Museum Institutional Scrapbooks, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Reynold H. Weidenaar Papers, collection 482, Calvin College, Hekman Library, Heritage Hall Special Collections, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Reynold H. Weidenaar Papers, Weidenaar Portfolio, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Reynold Weidenaar Archival Collection no. 75 and Reynold Weidenaar Personal Archival Collection no. 81, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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