An Illustrated Journey into the Life & Times of William of Orange takes you back in time to the beginnings of the "Dutch Revolt" and to the world of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who with his art commented on the social and political events preceding the Dutch revolutionary war. The Netherlands had become the most prosperous area of Northern Europe, and Antwerp had developed into the richest city of the European continent. This development was accompanied by a rise in popularity of Protestant religion, which was considered a threat to the authority of the Catholic Church and to its major supporter: the King of Spain, the ruler of the seventeen provinces of the Netherlands! The seventeen provinces of the Netherlands did not much have in common except for a common language and a common ruler. This changed when William of Orange started a revolt against his King to protect the Dutch Protestants from religious persecution by their own King. He created a political union of the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands to fight collectively for religious freedom and in doing so created a nation. Visually supported by over sixty hand-painted full-page graphics, the story of William of Orange reveals the history of the birth of The Netherlands. For a preview please check http: //jvanaarsen.weebly.com/
Jan van Aarsen is a Graphic Artist with a degree in Political Science. For a short period he created political cartoons to illustrate contemporary history. Then as a Scientific Illustrator he created explanatory graphics for textbooks in the Life Sciences and for Bio-Tech Start-Ups. His love for painting and his desire to visually communicate cultural history led him to create his series of Picture Book Biographies that combine history, politics and art.
