"Bateaux de Kortenhoef" Bernard van Beek, The Hague School, around 1910 – Netherlands

Delicate oil on canvas depicting a calm marine scene, probably in the town of Kortenhoef, much appreciated by the artist. The composition leans towards symmetry, with the black boat in the foreground shown in profile, directing the viewer's attention towards the centre of the composition. Behind it, the rest of the boats head towards the horizon. The grey atmosphere envelops everything and reveals the strong influence of the Hague School on the artist. Bernardus Antonie van Beek (Amsterdam, 1875 – Kortenhoef, 1941) was a Dutch painter known for his atmospheric landscapes and associated with the Hague School. His work is characterised by a subtle use of colour and a particular attention to the mood of the landscape. He began his career as a decorative painter with his father, then trained at the School of Applied Arts. Although he did not receive 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 water-rich town where he found great inspiration. In 1911, he settled permanently in this village, where he befriended Constant Gabriël. Generally, Van Beek's landscapes show a clear influence of the Hague School, with an emphasis on tone and atmosphere. His palette is mainly soft, with subtle shades of colour that capture the melancholy and tranquility of the Dutch landscape. In addition to the lakes and water lilies characteristic of Kortenhoef, he also painted areas of old towns and, especially in the 1920s, bright and vibrant village scenes. Bernard van Beek passed away on 6 March 1941 in Kortenhoef, at the age of 66. His work is part of 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 appreciated for their serene beauty and technical craftsmanship. The Hague School (Haagse School) was an influential group of Dutch painters who renewed Dutch landscape painting with a realistic approach, loose brushwork, and a dark palette focused on light and grey atmosphere. Influenced by the Barbizon School, they captured everyday life, particularly that of fishermen and peasants, from the most lucid and ancestral to the most miserable or sentimental aspects and themes. United by a radical desire to break away from the romanticism that dominated Dutch painting in the first half of the 19th century, they laid the foundations for Dutch Impressionism.