Willem de Zwart (1862–1931) - Landschap

A small but powerfully painted landscape by Willem de Zwart (1862–1931), executed in oil on panel.

Over a low, green meadow lands the eye to a striking group of tall trees to the right of the center. On the left, the composition opens decisively toward a broad, light-blue sky, making the dark mass of trees stand out strongly against the pale sky.

De Zwart builds the landscape with a free, impasto brushwork and short, energetic strokes. In the foreground, several greens, ochres and earthly tones lie close together and side by side; the trees are boldly rendered in deep brown, green, and almost black tones. Opposite them lie the cream-white and pale blue areas of sky and clouds. Especially in the treetops and the foreground the paint remains clearly relief-like, giving the small-format work a noticeably lively painterly effect.

The work is signed in red at the bottom right ‘W. de Zwart’. On the back of the panel there are old handwritten inscriptions, including the name W. de Zwart and the dating 1914.

Dimensions of the work are about 11 × 17 cm; with the frame about 35 × 40 cm. The painting is housed in a richly ornamented gold-colored frame.

Biography of the artist

Willem de Zwart (The Hague, 1862–1931) belongs to the Dutch painters of the Hague School and, with his vigorous brushwork and use of color, also forms a link to Amsterdam impressionism. From 1876 he studied at the The Hague Academy of Art and subsequently worked for a time under Jacob Maris. De Zwart painted landscapes, cityscapes, figures, animals and still lifes, and also worked as a draftsman and graphic artist. His painting is characterized by a loose, often broad brushwork and a stronger color accent than in many Hague School painters. The Rijksmuseum owns, among other works, his painting Rijtuigen met wachtende koetsiers and several prints; Kunstmuseum Den Haag, the Kröller-Müller Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art also have works by De Zwart in their collections.