Thursday 11 October 2012

Barend Cornelis Koekkoek and Portrait of A Young Lady

'Portrait of A Young Lady' (1846) by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek;
B.C. Koekkoek-Huis, Kleef

Dutch painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, born on 11 October 1803, was the first painter on my list to check for paintings. I had never heard of him before so didn't know what to expect or whether to like his work. When I googled the images of his paintings, all I initially saw were landscapes. There are some that are beautiful like The Coming Storm but then my eyes were drawn towards the only portrait standing out amidst all those landscapes. And it's a beautiful portrait! Koekkoek was born into a family of painters and studied under his father. He attended the Amsterdam Academy of Art and travelled through Belgium and Germany where he got inspired by the landscape. In 1841, he founded his own art academy. He was a very succesful painter and achieved considerable fame during his lifetime. The portrait chosen for today is indeed exceptional in his oeuvre. Although the focus is on this beautiful young woman, the landscape plays an important role as well, providing the backdrop for the main subject.

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