Activities on a calm river in summer

Hermanus Koekkoek, the younger brother of Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, was born in Middelburg on 13 March 1815. Like his brother before him, he was a pupil of his father Johannes Hermanus and followed in the tradition of the famous family of painters. Like his father, he was celebrated primarily for his seascapes and painted with a similar flair. By the time of the completion of the present work in 1858, Koekkoek had already exhibited widely in his native country.

The present lot is an excellent example of the innovative new style which the artist introduced in his work in the mid-1850's. After having concentrated on stormy seascapes in earlier years, in which he was influenced by artists like Johannes Christiaan Schotel, Koekkoek made the tranquil river landscapes and seascapes into his speciality. In these paintings his painterly qualities come into their own. He perfectly expresses a motionless atmosphere and uses a more luminous palette than before. The present lot shows all the qualities of a perfect 'calm': the summer heat is tangible and striking are the great expansive sky with cream-colored billowy clouds and the reflections of the barges in the water. Beautiful touches include the intense green of the meadow and the fresly cut hay on the barge.