Dutch cartoonist, illustrator and painter.
Anton was the tenth child of the pastor Leendert van der Valk (8 October 1838, Vlaardingen – 13 January 1910, Oosterbeek). At age 8 the family moved from Delft to Scheveningen. At the HBS drawing was his favourite subject, but his father was opposed to this profession, as it would not bring material certainty. He became ill and had to stay home. At age 14 he secretly turned to the painter Chr. Bisschop to plead for him. His father got angry , but in 1899 he was allowed to go to the Teeken-Academie in Den Haag.
He studied painting in Den Haag, later in Rotterdam and the Académie Julien in Paris, painting nudes all day (1906). At first he did not like the idea to become a cartoonist, but after seeing the German satirical weekly magazine Simplicissimus, he changed his mind. His first cartoon appeared 21 May 1904 in “De Ware Jacob” (-1910). On 7 January 1911 he launched his own satirical paper “Paljas” (Bajazzo, clown). The motto came from the poet Vondel: „De weereld is een schouwtooneel, Elck speelt zijn rol, elck krijgt zijn deel” (The world is a stage, each plays his role and gets his share).
Since 1919 he used the pseudonym “Ton van Tast”, meaning Anthony fan-tast or visionary. In the beginning of his career he worked as an illustrator of books, designer of stamps and advertising, but he became famous as a political cartoonist in several magazines. From Augustus 1923 till 1941 he had his own a page in the Haagsche Post. His series “De daverende dingen dezer dagen” was a kind “That Was the Week That Was” comic.
In the end of his career he concentrated on fine art painting.
He died 27 September 1975 at old age in Hardenberg.
Link to Dutch Wikipedia