Bernard Van Beek, Kortenhoefs Ships, 1910, Oil on Canvas, Framed

Details

Description

Technique: Oil on canvas
Title of the work: “Boats of Kortenhoef”
Artist: Bernard van Beek
Period: 1910s
Country of origin: … Read more Technique: Oil on canvas
Title of the work: “Boats of Kortenhoef”
Artist: Bernard van Beek
Period: 1910s
Country of origin: Netherlands
Good condition for its age and use
Overall dimensions: 50.5 x 58.5 x 5 cm
Dimensions without frame: 37 x 45 cm

This delicate oil on canvas depicts a calm seascape, likely in Kortenhoef, a place the artist particularly loved. The composition tends toward symmetry; the black boat in the foreground is shown in profile, drawing the viewer's attention to the center of the composition. Behind it, the other boats are arranged toward the horizon. A gray atmosphere pervades the entire painting, revealing the artist's strong influence of the Hague School.

Bernardus Antonie van Beek (Amsterdam, 1875 – Kortenhoef, 1941)

Bernardus Antonie (‘Bernard’) van Beek was a Dutch painter, known for his atmospheric landscapes and associated with the Hague School. His work is characterized by a subtle use of color and a special attention to the mood of the landscape.

He began his career as a decorative painter with his father, later training at the School of Applied Arts. Although he received no formal academic training in painting, he became a skilled painter. Initially, Van Beek lived and worked in Amsterdam, but from 1901 he regularly visited Kortenhoef, a town rich in water, where he found a great source of inspiration. In 1911 he settled permanently in this town, where he befriended Constant Gabriël.

In general, Van Beek's landscapes show a clear influence of the Hague School, with an emphasis on tonality and atmosphere. His palette is predominantly muted, with subtle nuances of color that capture the melancholy and tranquility of the Dutch landscape. In addition to the characteristic lakes and water lilies of Kortenhoef, he also painted old town districts and, particularly in the 1920s, scenes of bright, luminous villages.

Bernard van Beek died on March 6, 1941, in Kortenhoef, at the age of 66. His work is included in the collections of several museums, including the Goois Museum in Hilversum. His paintings offer a timeless window into the Dutch landscape and rural life of the early 20th century, and continue to be cherished for their serene beauty and technical artistry.

The Hague School

The Hague School (1860-1890) was an influential group of Dutch painters associated with the Pulchri Studio—a Dutch art institution and studio based in The Hague—who revitalized Dutch landscape painting with a realistic approach, loose brushstrokes, and a somber palette focused on light and a grayish atmosphere. Influenced by the Barbizon School, they captured everyday life, especially that of fishermen and farmers, from the lucid and ancestral to the most wretched or sentimental aspects and themes.

United by a radical and shared desire to break with the Romanticism that dominated Dutch painting in the first half of the 19th century, they laid the foundations for Dutch Impressionism.

They painted outdoors, or en plein air, primarily landscapes with windmills, canals, beaches, fishing scenes, and more. Their works, which depict the daily life of peasants, are generally characterized by gray and brown tones, an emphasis on atmosphere, cloudy skies, and a melancholic realism—sometimes referred to as "the reign of gray." They are often considered the last great phase of the Dutch painting tradition, reinterpreting 17th-century realism with a modern and atmospheric sensibility.

The frame protecting the artwork is offered as a gift but has intrinsic value. It is provided at no additional cost so that your artwork can be displayed immediately upon arrival at your home or destination. Any damage to the frame itself, which does not affect the integrity of the artwork, cannot be accepted as a valid reason for filing a claim or requesting a cancellation. This piece has an attribution mark,
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