Peter Martinus Dillen - Mother

Peter Marinus Dillen, nicknamed Marinus, (Mierlo 1890 –Rosenheim 1985) grew up as a farmer's son and went to work on the farm after primary school. He also took lessons at the Helmond drawing school with August Asselbergs (1863 – 1935). In 1906, manufacturer Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen asked him to come and work in the design department of his textile printing company, now known as 'Vlisco'. From 1916, Dillen studied for two years at the academy in Amsterdam. His teachers were Nicolaas van der Waay (1855 – 1936) and Antoon Derkinderen (1892 – 1925). He also exhibited at art dealer EJ van Wisselingh&Co. He met the Belgian artist Georges Higuet (1892 -1956), who had emigrated to Nuenen in 1914 due to the war. Both have a preference for drawing ordinary people in their daily activities. After his marriage to a German, he settled in Germany in 1936, where he worked only a little. Dillen's oeuvre includes pastel and pen drawings, etchings and paintings. His style always retains something academic and traditional. He prefers landscapes and portraits.