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Lot Essay
This hitherto unknown work by the artist is an impressive addition to his known oeuvre. It is a sheer tour-de-force in size and expression and forms a remarkable contrast to the more idyllic style which Blommers is usually known for. Here he shows what the arrival of a fishing fleet was all about: fisherwomen with their knees on the wet beach, gathering the fish, the unloading of the bomschuiten in the breakers, others already rushing back to the village to take the fish to its buyers, the whole scene basking in the evening sun. This daily recurring scene which took place in the typical fisihingvillages of Scheveningen and Katwijk, strongly captured Blommers' imagination: "Scheveningen, als je dat vroeger gekend had, neen man prachtig mooi! [..] wat was dat schilderachtig. [..] En vergeet niet de pinken, d'r konden zoo'n tweehonderd bommen aan 't strand liggen..., die bedrijvigheid dan, zoo'n vischafslag." (T. de Liefde-van Brakel, B.J. Blommers (1845-1914), Katwijk, 1993, p. 34).
An exhibition label and a label of the U.S. Customs on the stretcher of the present lot are testimony to the fact that the painting was exhibited in the United States. This is not surprising, as the works of artists from the Hague School were widely collected in that country, in Canada and in the United Kingdom. Dutch dealers and artists eagerly participated in the major art exhibitions that were organised in these countries. For the World's Columbian exposition in Chicago in 1893 for instance, in which exhibition the present lot was probably shown, Hendrik Willem Mesdag was appointed as director and the dealers Abraham Preyer and Goupil from The Hague sent in large amounts of works (for further information on the subject, see D. Dekkers, '"Where are the Dutchmen?" Promoting the Hague School in America, 1875-1900', Simiolus, XXIV, 1996).
An exhibition label and a label of the U.S. Customs on the stretcher of the present lot are testimony to the fact that the painting was exhibited in the United States. This is not surprising, as the works of artists from the Hague School were widely collected in that country, in Canada and in the United Kingdom. Dutch dealers and artists eagerly participated in the major art exhibitions that were organised in these countries. For the World's Columbian exposition in Chicago in 1893 for instance, in which exhibition the present lot was probably shown, Hendrik Willem Mesdag was appointed as director and the dealers Abraham Preyer and Goupil from The Hague sent in large amounts of works (for further information on the subject, see D. Dekkers, '"Where are the Dutchmen?" Promoting the Hague School in America, 1875-1900', Simiolus, XXIV, 1996).