Jan Bevort (1917-1996) - "Flat Bottom" along the beach

Jan Bévort's oil painting: 'Flat Bottom' along the beach. 'Flat Bottom' in Dutch is 'Platbodem': the bottom is flat and not deep, so you can put the ship almost on the beach.

Jan Bévort (1917-1996) was a professional Dutch artist who had a lengthy and productive career spanning from the 1930s through the 1990s. His body of work consists primarily of impressionist-style paintings featuring cityscapes, landscapes, marine scenes, and beach compositions, with a particular focus on sailing vessels and harbor activities. His works appear regularly in Dutch and European auction houses, indicating he maintained a steady professional practice throughout his lifetime.

Without access to specific documentation, exhibition records, or a signature analysis comparing signature styles from different periods of Bevort's career, determining a precise date is not possible from visual inspection alone. However, based on the painting's characteristics, the work likely dates somewhere within Bevort's active period (1917-1996), most probably in the mid-20th century (1940s-1980s).

Paint Surface Characteristics: The heavy impasto (textured paint application) and visible craquelure (fine cracking pattern) in the paint surface are authentic signs of age. The paint shows natural aging with dimensional texture and tonal variation characteristic of paintings that have aged over decades.

Technique: The loose, gestural brushwork and expressive handling of the sky and water are consistent with Bevort's known impressionist style. The thick application of paint in the rigging and sky demonstrates the artist's signature approach to marine subjects.

Frame Condition: the wooden frame shows some weathering consistent with a piece from the mid-20th century, though the frame may have been replaced or restored at various points in the painting's history.