Biography
Velde, van de, family of Dutch
marine painters and landscapists of the 17th century.
Willem van de Velde the Elder (circa 1611-93)
Dutch marine painter. He was the son of a naval captain, his brother was a skipper
of merchant vessels, and he himself spent part of his youth as a sailor before devoting
himself to the drawing and painting of ships. His pictures, which are frequently
grisailles, contain faithful and detailed portraits of ships (of much value to naval
historians) and for a time he was an official artist for the Dutch fleet. In 1672,
when the Netherlands were at war with England, he went to London and entered the
service of Charles II; why he left his country at a critical moment in its fortunes
remains a mystery.
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707)
Willem's son, he is one of the most illustrious of all marine painters. He was the
pupil of his father and Simon de Vlieger. Like his father, he gave very accurate
portrayals of ships, but is distinguished from him by his feeling for atmosphere
and majestic sense of composition. He left Amsterdam for England with his father
in 1672 and in 1674 Charles II gave them a yearly retaining fee of 100 pounds each;
the father received his "for taking and making draughts of seafights" and
the son "for putting the said draughts into colours for our own particular use".
They did not switch their allegiance to England completely; both subsequently painted
pictures of naval battles for the Dutch as well as the English market. Willem the
Younger's influence, however, was particularly great in England, where the whole
tradition of marine painting stemmed from him.
Adriaen van de Velde (1636-72)
Brother of Willem the Younger, was a prolific painter of sunny, atmospheric landscapes
and beach scenes. His landscape etchings of rural scenes were particularly sensitive,
but he also excelled in animal painting and often executed the animal figures in
the paintings of other prominent contemporary artists. |
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