Prof. J.C.M. Warnsick Fellowship for Arjen Bloem

In 2024, Faculty of Arts student Arjen Bloem will be primarily found at The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. Last December he was awarded the Prof. J.C.M. Warnsick Fellowship, which will give him access to the entire museum collection and provides him with a one-time stipend of up to €4,000 for the purpose of maritime historical research. Arjen, who is graduating this month from the Faculty of Arts with a Master's degree in History and is originally from Terschelling, has studied maritime subjects throughout his studies. The fellowship will give him the opportunity to research a main character of his current thesis topic: Willem van der Does. We spoke to Arjen about his plans.

Can you tell us something about your thesis?

"My thesis is about two published travel stories of the polar expeditions of Sjef van Dongen and Willem van der Does. In these travel stories (published between 1929 - 1955), I examine the authors', publishers' and readers' incorporation of extra-literary objectives and look at how they were manufactured and how nationalism was expressed in a Europe in geopolitical tension at the time.”

Van der Does (1889-1966), was a Dutch painter who, as far as we know, was the first Dutchman in the twentieth century to set foot on the landmass of Antarctica. He participated in an expedition on the Norwegian whaler Sir James Clark Ross to the Ross Sea, located beneath Antarctica, from 1923-1924. William thoroughly enjoyed the ship's voyage. He wrote in his journal and made over 180 drawings. "His descriptions of the views from the ship, albatrosses, flora and fauna on the islands, as well as the human characteristics of penguins are lyrical," says Arjen.

What do you expect from The National Maritime Museum's collection?

"I will be in the perfect place to pursue maritime historic research. There is so much material lying around that has barely been explored." The museum’s collection is an important source of knowledge and inspiration about Dutch maritime history and culture, from the sixteenth century to today. The museum holds one of the largest and most important maritime collections in the world, including paintings, ship models, navigational instruments and sea charts.

What do you hope to accomplish?

During the fellowship, Arjen wants to learn more about the drawings and paintings Willem van der Does produced during and after his participation in the expedition. "Within the research, my main focus is on contextualising illustrations and paintings from the collection of The National Maritime Museum, as well as the influence Willem’s travel story had on the reintroduction of whaling in the Netherlands in the twentieth century. Various perspectives, such as the literary and artistic aspects of ego documents, are applied herein. In the process, in light of climate change, polar expeditions will be seen in a new perspective. The work of Willem van der Does shows a world that, for contemporary people, no longer exists or is about to disappear; this also creates a historical perspective within Dutch polar history," says Arjen.

We wish Arjen the best of luck with his interesting research!

If you want to know more about the Prof. J.C.M. Warnsinck Fellowship or other Fellowships that The National Maritime Museum offers, check out the website of the museum for more information.