'Olidin: De Wereld Uit' (Olidin #1, 1963).
Friso Henstra was a Dutch illustrator, comic artist and sculptor. During the 1950s, he worked for promotional children's magazines like Haak In and Olidin, creating the latter's title comic (1957-1963) with writer W. Schippers. While in the Netherlands he was known as an illustrator for pocketbook series by publishers such as De Arbeiderspers and Querido, he gained most of his fame internationally through his award-winning collaborations with the American writer Jay Williams.
Early life and career
Dirk Friso Henstra was born in 1928 in Amsterdam. His father was the drawing teacher, painter and sports cartoonist Sytze Henstra, who worked for newspaper De Telegraaf. Henstra spent two years attending drawing classes at the National Academy of Visual Arts ("Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten") in Amsterdam until, in 1948, he was drafted for his military service. During a period of two years, he served in the Dutch Indies, the colony that was on the verge of becoming the independent Republic of Indonesia. Back in the Netherlands, he returned to art school, where he spent an additional three years studying sculpting under teachers like Cor Hund. During the early years of his professional career, Henstra considered himself a sculptor first, who did illustration jobs to supplement his income. Thanks to his training as a sculptor, he had a keen eye for spatiality. The painter Kurt Löb described Henstra's work as "refined alienation and graphic wizardry, often with a touch of black humor".
'Forestan de Troubadour' (Haak In #2).
Youth magazines
During the 1950s, Friso Henstra's first published drawings appeared in the satirical monthly Mandril. Around this same period, Henstra made illustrations for the literary children's magazine Kris Kras, for instance for the text comic 'De Historie van de Vier Heemskinderen' (1954-1955), written by D.L. Daalder. He also drew picture stories for Haak In, the promotional children's magazine published weekly by the Brinkers Margarine Factory for its Leeuwezegel Haak In junior club. Other notable artists for this latter title were Henk van Faassen and Henk Albers. Henstra's main contributions included the medieval text comic 'Florestan de Troubadour' (written by Ton Krielaart), and the picture story 'Bobbertje Brigges' (written by C.J.J. Sprangers).
'Bobbertje Brigges', picture story for Haak In #5.
Between 1957 and 1963, Henstra was most notably a prominent artist in Olidin, the children's magazine of the Shell Junior Club. It was produced by the advertising agency Van Maanen by commission of the petrol company Shell. Together with writer W. Schippers, Henstra provided the magazine's title comic, starring a boy named Olivier Dinmans, who in the very first episode finds an iron shell at the junkyard, which appears to operate like a magic lamp. However, the genie inside has trouble with the boy's name and calls him "Olidin". By having his wishes granted by the genie, Olidin has all kinds of adventures. Amidst imported comics from abroad, Henstra was initially one of the few local artists working for the magazine, the others being Carol Voges and Hans G. Kresse. In the later years, more Dutch artists filled Olidin's pages, including Emile Brumsteede, Wim Giesbers, Frits Godhelp, Niek Hiemstra,Jan Kruis, Ted Mathijsen, Joost Rietveld, Chris Roodbeen, Jan van der Voo, P. Visser, Dick Vlottes,Joop Wiggers and Piet Wijn. In 1967, De Arbeiderspers released a book collection of one of the 'Olidin' stories under the title 'De Wonderschelp van Olidin'.
'Op Zoek Naar Olidin'.
Youth illustrator
In addition, Friso Henstra worked as a cover illustrator for youth book collections by publishers such as De Kern, Kluitman, H. ten Brink and De Arbeiderspers, as well as the Prisma pocketbook series by Het Spectrum. Additionally, as an illustrator of educational books, his art became well-known at school through the historical storybook 'Honderd Eeuwen' by C. Wilkeshuis (Thieme & Cie, 1966). A career-defining moment happened in 1968, when De Arbeiderspers asked Henstra to illustrate 'De Koningskruistocht', the Dutch edition of 'Tomorrow's Fire' by the American author Jay Williams. The latter was so pleased with Henstra's work that he asked the artist to also make the illustrations for his latest book, 'The Practical Princess' (Purple House, 1969). It meant Friso Henstra's international breakthrough and the start of his successful American career. Besides winning prizes in the USA, the book was also awarded the "Golden Apple" at the 1969 Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.
During a period of ten years, the collaboration between Friso Henstra and Jay Williams resulted in an almost annual stream of books, published by Parents Magazine Press, MacMillan and Four Winds Press. Characterized by their weird, almost psychedelic illustrations, these books included 'School for Sillies' (1969), 'Stupid Marco' (1970), 'The Silver Whistle' (1971), 'Seven At One Blow' (1972), 'The Youngest Captain' (1972), 'Petronella' (1973), 'Forgetful Fred' (1974) and 'The Wicked Tricks of Tyl Uilenspiegel' (1978). In 1977, 'Forgetful Fred' was awarded a "Golden Plaque", also in Bratislava.
From: 'Petronella' (1973).
Throughout the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Henstra additionally worked in a similar vein with several other U.S. authors for publishers such as Seabury/Clarion, Holiday House, Little Brown & Co., Dial, Prentice Hall & IBD, Tambourine and Simon & Schuster. These collaborations included 'The Round Sultan and the Straight Answer' by Barbara K. Walker (1970), 'The Little Spotted Fish' by Jane Yolen (1975), 'Space Cats' by Steven Kroll (1979), 'The Terrible Tales of Happy Days School' by Lois Duncan (1983), 'The Tale of Caliph Stork' (1989), 'The Tsar and the Amazing Cow' (1989), 'Pig and Bear' by Vit Horejs (1989), 'Pedro and the Padre Verna Aardema' (1990), 'Why Not?' by Sylvia Hofsepian (1991), 'The Future of Yen-Tzu' (1992), 'Cynthia and the Runaway Gazebo' by Elsa Marston (1992) and 'The Mouse Who Owned the Sun' by Sally Derby (1993). It wasn't until later years before his books also appeared in Dutch translation in his home country. The Dutch edition 'Why Not?' ('Waarom Niet?') was awarded with the 1992 "Golden Pencil". In addition to books, Friso Henstra also provided artwork to Cricket, an American illustrated literary magazine for children.
'Mighty Mizzling Mouse' (1983).
Author
Starting in 1978, Friso Henstra also began writing his own books, starting with 'Wait and See' (Addison-Wesley, 1978), about a little man who thinks himself more remarkable than the king and the emperor, and builds a series of disastrous inventions before coming up with something that truly impresses the skeptical, mocking townspeople. It was followed by 'Mighty Mizzling Mouse' ('Malle Maffe Muis', NY Lippincott, 1983), a funny book about a teasing mouse who triggers a chain reaction of animals and people chasing each other. Its follow-up was 'Mighty Mizzling Mouse and the Red Cabbage House' (Little Brown & Co, 1984), about a mouse who succeeds in building a house out of cabbage, but doesn't count on a hungry rabbit.
Cover for Cricket Magazine (January 1976).
Cover illustrator
Because of his several American assignments, Friso Henstra reduced his work for Dutch publishing houses. Nonetheless, he made many cover illustrations for the Salamander pocketbook series by Querido. Besides the beautiful portrait covers he made for the Multatuli installments, he also designed covers for pocketbook editions by Bertus Aafjes, Helene Nolthenius, Hella Haasse, Inez van Dullemen, Simon Vestdijk and Theun de Vries. Also for Querido, he illustrated covers for editions of the historical fiction books by the British novelist Barbara Willard. In addition, he illustrated several covers for books by Herman Hesse (De Arbeiderspers) and Max Dendermonde (Het Spectrum). For De Arbeiderspers, he also illustrated book covers for the originally Danish erotic story collection 'Het Land van Coitha' (1970s).
Book cover illustrations by Friso Henstra.
Teacher
Between 1969 and 1986, Friso Henstra taught illustrative drawing and figure drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem. His classes spawned famous Dutch illustrators such as Sylvia Weve, Jan Jutte, Anka Kresse (daughter of Hans G. Kresse), Georgien Overwater and Anjo Mutsaers.
Later years and death
Over the years, the work of Friso Henstra has been the subject of several exhibitions. In 1995, he was one of forty illustrators for the collective book 'Ali Baba en de Veertig Tekenaars' by Willem Wilmink, released on the occasion of Youth Book Month by department store De Bijenkorf. It was one of his final commercial projects. Friso Henstra died in Amsterdam in 2013. He was 85 years old.
Friso Henstra.