Jan Weissenbruch, also known as Hendrik Johannes Weissenbruch, was a Dutch painter of the Hague School. He is noted especially for his watercolours. Born in The Hague on 19 June 1824, Weissenbruch was the second son of Johannes Weissenbruch and Johanna Hendrika Zaag.
Early Life and Training
Weissenbruch came from an artistic family. His father, Johannes, painted in his free time and collected art on a small scale. Among Johannes' collection were works by
Andreas Schelfhout and
Bartholomeus van Hove. Weissenbruch received drawing lessons from Johannes Low when he was sixteen years old. In 1843, he took evening classes taught by
Bartholomeus van Hove at the Hague Academy of Art.
Artistic Style and Influences
Weissenbruch's early work showed the strong influence of
Andreas Schelfhout, a romantic painter. His magnificent, cloudy skies show his admiration for the seventeenth-century artist
Jacob van Ruisdael, whose work he saw at an early age in the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Weissenbruch's use of color gradually became more restrained and his application of paint increasingly broader and looser, making his landscapes more atmospheric.
Notable Works and Exhibitions
Weissenbruch first exhibited at the exhibition of Living Masters in 1847 and became one of the founders of the
Pulchri Studio. In 1849, two years after Weissenbruch staged his first exhibition, the
Teylers Museum in Haarlem acquired one of his panoramic landscapes. Some of his notable works include
The Shipping Canal at Rijswijk,
Landscape with Mill Near Schiedam, and
Forest View Near Barbizon.
- Visit https://WahooArt.com/@/Jan Weissenbruch to learn more about Jan Weissenbruch's life and work.
- Explore the Mauritshuis collection on https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/O/A@D3CG9D to discover the Masterpieces of Mauritshuis, The Hague.
- Check out the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which houses the world's largest collection of Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings: https://WahooArt.com/@@/A@D3C93K-Van-Gogh-Museum-Amsterdam-Netherlands
Weissenbruch enjoyed working outdoors in the countryside, usually finding his subjects in the area around The Hague where he lived. He rarely went far from home, but in 1900, at the age of seventy, he took a trip to
Barbizon where he painted his famous forest scene. Weissenbruch's work is characterized by its delicate brushstrokes and restrained use of color, making him one of the best representatives of the Hague School.