Johannes Hermanus Barend, or 'Jan H.B. Koekkoek', made an interesting development as a painter. In 1859 he made his debut at the Exhibition of Living Masters in Amsterdam with a seascape titled 'Toolend water with ships'. In it he used the detailed elaboration and fine brushstroke that has now become characteristic of the Koekkoek family. In 1864, at the age of 24, the painter exchanged his hometown of Amsterdam for Hilversum, where not long before his uncles B.C. and M.A. had worked. Possibly under the influence of the impressionism of the Laren School that was emerging in the Gooi, his painting style gradually changed there. The fine, precise elaboration and hardly distinguishable brushstroke make way for a fast, looser painting style. His choice of subjects also changes and expands in the 1980s and 1990s with fishermen's scenes, beach scenes with bombs, shell fishermen and a few polder landscapes. Subjects that were favorites of the painters of the Hague School. His paintings provide Jan H.B. in this Hilversum period often on the back of a sealed statement of authenticity with subject and date. The painter loved the fishing villages around the Zuiderzee, along the North Sea coast - Egmond, Zandvoort, Scheveningen and Katwijk -, the Maas near Rotterdam and Veere in Zeeland. In addition to his 'modern' subjects, Jan H.B. also romantic shipwrecks, in which subject and style merge, as it were.

Work size: 80 x 54 cm

Provenance: from a Dutch private collection

Viewing is of course possible. We also have our own in-house frame maker, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary. We also use conservators from the trade association: 'Restauratoren Nederland'. If you would like to make use of this, we would of course like to hear from you.