Dutch portrait painter, etcher, poet, art critic and art historian.
He was the son of Geradus Huibert Veth (29 September 1817, Dordrecht – 15 November 1817), an iron merchant and liberal politician, and Anna Cornelia Giltay (1 March 1826 10 PM, Dordrecht – 9 May 1887). His mother was a granddaughter of the romantic painter Jacob van Strij (2 Oct 1756, Dordrecht – 4 February 1815, Dordrecht).
Veth studied at the State academy of visual arts of Amsterdam under Agust Allebé and Antoon Derkinderen. Here he also met his wife Anna. Later he become a professor here, having famous students as Nelly Bodemheim. His lively soul portraits of noted members of Dutch society can be found on the internet and this database. He was a co-founder of the Amsterdam artists society Arti et Amicitiae.
As a poet, writer, art critic and and cultural historian, he was connected to De Nieuwe Gids, De Amsterdammer, De Gids, De Kroniek, Onze Kunst, the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant newspaper and De Twintigste Eeuw.
On 13 July 1906, he was awarded a honorary doctorate for his work on the rediscovery of Rembrandt van Rijn, who is now, seen as one of the worlds most important painters. As painters of the soul, like Munch and Van Gogh, Veth and his many friends and pupils tried to discover the divine sparks of G’d in even the tiniest creatures.
Personal
On 10 August 1888, he married the paintress Anna Dorothea Dirks (7 June 1863 18h30, Gorinchem – 16 June 1929, Amsterdam), who also studied art in Amsterdam. They moved to Bussum and got at one son and four daughters.
– Saskia Veth (30 November 1889, Bussum – 21 September 1969, Amsterdam) married Daniël Apolonius Delprat (10 January 1890, Amsterdam – 20 March 1988, Amsterdam) a Liberal VVD politician and senator.
– Alida Johanna Veth (29 Augustus 1891, Bussum – 23 May 1960, Amsterdam) married Christiaan Moes (4 January 1879, Amsterdam – 5 January 1964 Amsterdam), an engineer.
– Gerda Veth (10 February 1894 8h30 AM, Bussum – 31 Dec 1966, Haarlem) never married and became a noted Ph.D. jurist and lawyer.
– Anna Cornelia Veth (19 September 1895, Bussum – 3 March 1896, Bussum) died early.
– His only son Justus (Joost) Veth (17 February 1897, Bussum – 11 February 1942, Hamburg-Neuengamme) became a chemist. He lived in the United States with his first wife Christine Auguste Freund (7 October 1894, Wien – 24 June 1959, San Francisco) and in Moscow with his second wife Maria Sergjevna Gordon (18 February 1896, St Petersburg). Justus became a victim of the Holocaust.
Jan Veth died 1 July 1925 in Amsterdam. He was buried 4 July in Amsterdam Westerveld.
The art historian Johan Huizinga published his biography: Leven en werken van Jan Veth ( Haarlem 1927).

Link to Wikipedia