Hague School
Encyclopedia
The Hague School is the name given to a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist
painters of the French Barbizon school
. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relatively sombre colours, which is why the Hague School is sometimes called the Gray School. Artists who were influenced by the Hague School include Vincent van Gogh
, Piet Mondrian
, George Hendrik Breitner
, Jan Toorop
and Isaac Israëls
.
was a painter of landscapes, especially winter scenes, but also woodlands and the dunes between The Hague and Scheveningen. The style was an imitation of the great 17th century artists.
Art training at that time was usually in the form of drawing schools, with no painting classes. Many young artists were frustrated by this and scattered to various places to receive the training they desired. Gerard Bilders left the Hague Academy of Drawing and completed training with the Swiss painter, Carles Haubert. Paul Gabriël
studied with the landscape painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
. Jozef Israels
, unsatisfied with the academies at Groningen and Amsterdam, left for Paris to attend classes at Picot's studio. Jacob Maris
left the Hague Academy to study with Ernest Hébert
in Paris, while his brother Matthijs Maris
studied with de Keyser in Antwerp. Hendrik Willem Mesdag
left Groningen to study with Willem Roelofs
.
At about this same time, the 1830's artists like Théodore Rousseau
, Jean-François Millet
, Charles-François Daubigny
, and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot found their way to Barbizon, a forested area near Fontainebleau. The emphasis of their work here was on painting nature as they saw it. This gave rise to the well known Barbizon school
. Their example was followed in the 1850's by a few Dutch painters who gathered in Oosterbeek
in order to work in the surrounding countryside. These painters had been influenced by the artists of the Barbizon School (and in many cases had even studied with them) and emulated these painters by registering their impressions with rapid strokes of color. Johannes Warnardus Bilders
, father of Gerard Bilders
, moved to Oosterbeek in 1852 and attracted many pupils: Anton Mauve
, uncle of Vincent Van Gogh
, the Maris brothers in the summer, as well as the regular visitors Willem Roelofs
and Paul Gabriël
. Some of these artists also visited Barbizon to develop their interest in landscapes and rural life. In the 1850's and 1860's Israels, Jacob Maris
and Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch
went there to paint.
In 1847 Willem Roelofs, J. H. Weissenbruch and others had founded the Pulchri Studio
, an art studio in The Hague, at the home of the Hague painter Lambertus Hardenberg. Growing discontent among the young artists in The Hague about the apparently insufficient opportunities for training and development was the reason for establishing the Pulchri Studio. Hendrik Willem Mesdag came in 1869, Jacob Maris in 1871, Jozef Israels and Anton Mauve in 1871, while Willem Maris
, Johannes Bosboom
and Weissenbruch had always lived there.
The name "Hague School" was coined in 1875 by a critic who used the phrases "a new way of seeing and depicting things", "intent to convey mood, tone takes precedence over color", "almost exclusive preference for so-called 'bad weather' effects", and "gray mood" They were less interested in a faithful portrayal of what they saw than in conveying the atmosphere and impression of the moment. They painted in mostly in subdued colors, with a penchant for gray. That is why the Hague School is sometimes called the Gray School.
By the 1880's the united front of the Hague School began to crumble. Israels joined George Hendrik Breitner
who was one of the influences of a Impressionistic group which developed there. Weissenbruch and Roelofs found The Hague to be growing too fast and retreated to the polders. Jacob Maris and Israels abandoned the use of somber colors, while Weissenbruch blurred more of his details.
Realism (visual arts)
Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see. The term is used in different senses in art history; it may mean the same as illusionism, the representation of subjects with visual mimesis or verisimilitude, or may mean an emphasis on the actuality of...
painters of the French Barbizon school
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relatively sombre colours, which is why the Hague School is sometimes called the Gray School. Artists who were influenced by the Hague School include Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
, George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner wasa Dutch painter and photographer.-Biography:George Hendrik Breitner was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1876–1880 he attended the Academy in the Hague where his extraordinary talent was rewarded on various occasions...
, Jan Toorop
Jan Toorop
Jean Theodoor Toorop , better known as Jan Toorop, was an Indo painter, whose works straddle the space between the Symbolist painters and Art Nouveau.-Biography:...
and Isaac Israëls
Isaac Israëls
Isaac Lazarus Israëls was a Dutch painter.The son of the painter Jozef Israëls, Isaac Israëls developed an interest in painting in childhood. Between 1878 and 1880 he studied at the academy in The Hague...
.
History
After the great periods of Dutch art in the Golden Age of the 17th century, there were economic and political problems which diminished activity in art. The fine arts in the Netherlands enjoyed a revival around 1830, a time now referred to as the romantic period in Dutch painting. The most widely accepted paintings of this period were landscapes and paintings which reflected national history. Andreas SchelfhoutAndreas Schelfhout
Andreas Schelfhout was a Dutch painter, etcher and lithographer, known for his landscape paintings....
was a painter of landscapes, especially winter scenes, but also woodlands and the dunes between The Hague and Scheveningen. The style was an imitation of the great 17th century artists.
Art training at that time was usually in the form of drawing schools, with no painting classes. Many young artists were frustrated by this and scattered to various places to receive the training they desired. Gerard Bilders left the Hague Academy of Drawing and completed training with the Swiss painter, Carles Haubert. Paul Gabriël
Paul Gabriël
Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher who belonged to the Hague School....
studied with the landscape painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
Koekkoek, Barend Cornelis Dutch landscape artist and father of Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek.-Life:...
. Jozef Israels
Jozef Israëls
Jozef Israëls was a Dutch painter, and "the most respected Dutch artist of the second half of the nineteenth century".-Youth:...
, unsatisfied with the academies at Groningen and Amsterdam, left for Paris to attend classes at Picot's studio. Jacob Maris
Jacob Maris
Jacob Maris was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters....
left the Hague Academy to study with Ernest Hébert
Ernest Hébert
thumb|220px|Self-portrait, aged 17.Antoine Auguste Ernest Hébert was a French painter and academic.He was born in Grenoble and died in La Tronche. His painting Mal'aria was exhibited in the Salon of 1850-1851, and now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris...
in Paris, while his brother Matthijs Maris
Matthijs Maris
Matthias Marris was a Dutch painter, etcher and lithographer. He was also known as Matthijs Maris or Thijs...
studied with de Keyser in Antwerp. Hendrik Willem Mesdag
Hendrik Willem Mesdag
Hendrik Willem Mesdag was a Dutch marine painter.He was born in Groningen, the son of the banker Klaas Mesdag and his wife Johanna Wilhelmina van Giffen. Mesdag was encouraged by his father, an amateur painter, to study art...
left Groningen to study with Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, etcher, lithographer and draughtsman. Roelofs was one of the forerunners of the Dutch Revival art, after the Romantic Classicism of the beginning of the 19th century, which led to the formation of The Hague school.Willem Roelofs was born in...
.
At about this same time, the 1830's artists like Théodore Rousseau
Théodore Rousseau
Pierre Étienne Théodore Rousseau , French painter of the Barbizon school, was born in Paris, of a bourgeois family.-Youth:At first he received a business training, but soon displayed aptitude for painting...
, Jean-François Millet
Jean-François Millet
Jean-François Millet was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France...
, Charles-François Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny
Charles-François Daubigny was one of the painters of the Barbizon school, and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism....
, and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot found their way to Barbizon, a forested area near Fontainebleau. The emphasis of their work here was on painting nature as they saw it. This gave rise to the well known Barbizon school
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
. Their example was followed in the 1850's by a few Dutch painters who gathered in Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek
Oosterbeek is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Renkum, about 5 km west of Arnhem.The oldest part of the village of Oosterbeek is the Benedendorp , on the northern bank of the river Rhine...
in order to work in the surrounding countryside. These painters had been influenced by the artists of the Barbizon School (and in many cases had even studied with them) and emulated these painters by registering their impressions with rapid strokes of color. Johannes Warnardus Bilders
Johannes Warnardus Bilders
Johannes Warnardus Bilders was a Dutch painter who was the father of Gerard Bilders and a forerunner of the Hague School.Johannes Bilders was born in Utrecht and took lessons from Jan Lodewijk Jonxis...
, father of Gerard Bilders
Gerard Bilders
Albertus Gerardus Bilders was a Dutch painter and collector who associated with some members of the Hague School....
, moved to Oosterbeek in 1852 and attracted many pupils: Anton Mauve
Anton Mauve
Anthonij Rudolf Mauve was a Dutch realist painter who was a leading member of the Hague School. He signed his paintings 'A. Mauve' or with a monogrammed 'A.M.'. He was a very significant early influence on his cousin-in-law Vincent van Gogh.Most of Mauve's work depicts people and animals in...
, uncle of Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, the Maris brothers in the summer, as well as the regular visitors Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, etcher, lithographer and draughtsman. Roelofs was one of the forerunners of the Dutch Revival art, after the Romantic Classicism of the beginning of the 19th century, which led to the formation of The Hague school.Willem Roelofs was born in...
and Paul Gabriël
Paul Gabriël
Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher who belonged to the Hague School....
. Some of these artists also visited Barbizon to develop their interest in landscapes and rural life. In the 1850's and 1860's Israels, Jacob Maris
Jacob Maris
Jacob Maris was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters....
and Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch
Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch
Hendrik Johannes Weissenbruch was a Dutch painter of the Hague School....
went there to paint.
In 1847 Willem Roelofs, J. H. Weissenbruch and others had founded the Pulchri Studio
Pulchri Studio
The Pulchri Studio is an important art institution and art studio based in The Hague, Netherlands. It began in 1847 at the home of painter Lambertus Hardenberg, established with the help of Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Jan Weissenbruch, Willem Roelofs, Jan Frederik van Deventer, Willem Antonie van...
, an art studio in The Hague, at the home of the Hague painter Lambertus Hardenberg. Growing discontent among the young artists in The Hague about the apparently insufficient opportunities for training and development was the reason for establishing the Pulchri Studio. Hendrik Willem Mesdag came in 1869, Jacob Maris in 1871, Jozef Israels and Anton Mauve in 1871, while Willem Maris
Willem Maris
Willem Maris was a Dutch landscape painter of the Hague School.Willem was the third in a family of five children. His two brothers Jacob and Matthijs Maris preceded him as painters...
, Johannes Bosboom
Johannes Bosboom
Johannes Bosboom was a Dutch painter and watercolorist of the Hague School, known especially for his paintings of church interiors....
and Weissenbruch had always lived there.
The name "Hague School" was coined in 1875 by a critic who used the phrases "a new way of seeing and depicting things", "intent to convey mood, tone takes precedence over color", "almost exclusive preference for so-called 'bad weather' effects", and "gray mood" They were less interested in a faithful portrayal of what they saw than in conveying the atmosphere and impression of the moment. They painted in mostly in subdued colors, with a penchant for gray. That is why the Hague School is sometimes called the Gray School.
By the 1880's the united front of the Hague School began to crumble. Israels joined George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner
George Hendrik Breitner wasa Dutch painter and photographer.-Biography:George Hendrik Breitner was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1876–1880 he attended the Academy in the Hague where his extraordinary talent was rewarded on various occasions...
who was one of the influences of a Impressionistic group which developed there. Weissenbruch and Roelofs found The Hague to be growing too fast and retreated to the polders. Jacob Maris and Israels abandoned the use of somber colors, while Weissenbruch blurred more of his details.
Representatives
Forerunners
|
First Generation
Gerard Bilders Albertus Gerardus Bilders was a Dutch painter and collector who associated with some members of the Hague School.... Johannes Bosboom Johannes Bosboom was a Dutch painter and watercolorist of the Hague School, known especially for his paintings of church interiors.... Johannes Hubertus Leonardus de Haas Johannes Hubertus Leonardus de Haas was a Dutch animal and landscape painter, and a peripheral figure of the Hague School.... Paul Gabriël Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher who belonged to the Hague School.... Jozef Israëls Jozef Israëls was a Dutch painter, and "the most respected Dutch artist of the second half of the nineteenth century".-Youth:... Jacob Maris Jacob Maris was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters.... Matthijs Maris Matthias Marris was a Dutch painter, etcher and lithographer. He was also known as Matthijs Maris or Thijs... Willem Maris Willem Maris was a Dutch landscape painter of the Hague School.Willem was the third in a family of five children. His two brothers Jacob and Matthijs Maris preceded him as painters... Anton Mauve Anthonij Rudolf Mauve was a Dutch realist painter who was a leading member of the Hague School. He signed his paintings 'A. Mauve' or with a monogrammed 'A.M.'. He was a very significant early influence on his cousin-in-law Vincent van Gogh.Most of Mauve's work depicts people and animals in... Hendrik Willem Mesdag Hendrik Willem Mesdag was a Dutch marine painter.He was born in Groningen, the son of the banker Klaas Mesdag and his wife Johanna Wilhelmina van Giffen. Mesdag was encouraged by his father, an amateur painter, to study art... Taco Mesdag Taco Mesdag was a Dutch banker and painter.Mesdag, son of the banker Klaas Mesdag and Johanna Willemina, worked with his younger brother Henry in the banking business of his family. Like his brother Hendrik Mesdag, he eventually also chose to paint as a profession... Sina Mesdag-van Houten Sina van Houten was the wife of Hendrik Willem Mesdag, the Dutch marine painter of the Hague School, and a painter herself.... Willem Roelofs Willem Roelofs was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, etcher, lithographer and draughtsman. Roelofs was one of the forerunners of the Dutch Revival art, after the Romantic Classicism of the beginning of the 19th century, which led to the formation of The Hague school.Willem Roelofs was born in... Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch Hendrik Johannes Weissenbruch was a Dutch painter of the Hague School.... |
Second Generation
Floris Arntzenius Pieter Florentius Nicolaas Jacobus Arntzenius was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, illustrator and printmaker. He is considered a representative of the younger generation of the Hague School.... Adolph Artz David Adolf Constant Artz was a Dutch painter and collector who associated with some member of the Hague School.From 1855 to 1864 Artz trained with Johannes Egenberger and Louis Royer at the Amsterdam Academie. There he met Jozef Israëls, whose fishing subjects were to be a lasting source of... Bernard Blommers Bernardus Johannes Blommers was a Dutch etcher and painter of the Hague School.... George Hendrik Breitner George Hendrik Breitner wasa Dutch painter and photographer.-Biography:George Hendrik Breitner was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1876–1880 he attended the Academy in the Hague where his extraordinary talent was rewarded on various occasions... Théophile de Bock Théophile Emile Achille de Bock was a Dutch painter belonging to the Hague School.... Bernard de Hoog Bernard de Hoog was a Dutch painter influenced by the Hague School.Bernard showed talent as a schoolboy, but his request to study art was refused... Willem de Zwart Wilhelmus "Willem" Hendrikus Petrus Johannes Zwart , was a Dutch painter, engraver, watercolorist, with many connections to the Hague School.... Isaac Israëls Isaac Lazarus Israëls was a Dutch painter.The son of the painter Jozef Israëls, Isaac Israëls developed an interest in painting in childhood. Between 1878 and 1880 he studied at the academy in The Hague... Albert Neuhuys Johannes Albert Neuhuys was one of the best known painters of the Laren School and a friend of many of the Hague School painters.... Philip Sadée Philip Lodewijk Jacob Frederik Sadée is an artist who belongs to the Hague School.... Willem Bastiaan Tholen Willem Bastiaan Tholen was a Dutch painter, draftsman and printmaker with some connections to members of the Hague School.... Julius van de Sande Bakhuyzen Julius Jacobus van de Sande Bakhuyzen was a Dutch etcher and painter in the Hague School.... Herman Johannes van der Weele Herman Johannes van der Weele was a Dutch painter of the second generation of the Hague School.... Gerrit van Houten Gerrit van Houten , was a Dutch painter and artist.... Anthon van Rappard Anthon Gerard Alexander van Rappard was a Dutch painter and draughtsman. He was a pupil of Lawrence Alma-Tadema and for about four years a friend and mentor of Vincent van Gogh, who appreciated him, amongst other reasons, for his social engagement.-Biography:According to the RKD he worked in... |
External links
- The Hague School and young Van Gogh.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/The Forerunners of the Hague School.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/The Hague School: Introduction.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/Intermezzo.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/The Hague School Sequel.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/The Younger Masters of the Hague School.
- Dutch Art in the Nineteenth Century/Organization.