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Lot Essay
Kruseman was born into a renowned family of artists. He had two well-known cousins, Cornelis Kruseman (1797-1857) and Jan Adam Kruseman Jansz. (1804-1862). For these two artists the figure formed the most important subject within their oeuvre, one being a historical painter, the other painting both historical pictures and portraits. Contrary to his cousins, for Frederik Marinus Kruseman nature and the many facets of landscape painting played the central role.
Kruseman was trained by the respected still life painter Jan Reekers (1790-1858) at the beginning of the 1830's. His parents had entrusted him with this task as Reekers had a guiding hand in the tutelage of Krusemans cousin Jan Adam, who at that time had been appointed Director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Subsequently he apprenticed with Andreas Schelfhout's son-in-law, Nicolaas Roosenboom (1805-1880).
Whilst living in Haarlem between 1852 and 1856, Kruseman visited the picturesque ruins of Brederode castle near Velserend. These medieval ruins, covered with high-growing shrubs, epitomise the spirit of Romanticism: a focus on the impermanence of things as well as an aggrandized representation of the historical. Many important Romantic artists were drawn to this site including for example Nicolaas Roosenboom and Andreas Schelfhout as can be seen in lot 248 of the present sale.
When Kruseman moved to Brussels for the second time in 1856, he would often make use of the Dutch subjects that he had concentrated on in previous years. The present lot which he painted in 1860 has been described in this context as: '[...] many of these paintings belong to the best that Kruseman ever did. His great Summer landscape with a view of the Brederode Castle is one example of this. Here the ruins are located in a soft, rolling landscape and are enlivened by some figures, a dog, cows, and sheep. In the distance lies a small city that is subtly lit by several sure brush strokes. The only element that detracts from the whole is the green colour of the surface of the water, which is, however, a characteristic part of Kruseman's summer landscapes.' (see: Van Heteren a.o., op cit, 1998, p. 88).
Kruseman was trained by the respected still life painter Jan Reekers (1790-1858) at the beginning of the 1830's. His parents had entrusted him with this task as Reekers had a guiding hand in the tutelage of Krusemans cousin Jan Adam, who at that time had been appointed Director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Subsequently he apprenticed with Andreas Schelfhout's son-in-law, Nicolaas Roosenboom (1805-1880).
Whilst living in Haarlem between 1852 and 1856, Kruseman visited the picturesque ruins of Brederode castle near Velserend. These medieval ruins, covered with high-growing shrubs, epitomise the spirit of Romanticism: a focus on the impermanence of things as well as an aggrandized representation of the historical. Many important Romantic artists were drawn to this site including for example Nicolaas Roosenboom and Andreas Schelfhout as can be seen in lot 248 of the present sale.
When Kruseman moved to Brussels for the second time in 1856, he would often make use of the Dutch subjects that he had concentrated on in previous years. The present lot which he painted in 1860 has been described in this context as: '[...] many of these paintings belong to the best that Kruseman ever did. His great Summer landscape with a view of the Brederode Castle is one example of this. Here the ruins are located in a soft, rolling landscape and are enlivened by some figures, a dog, cows, and sheep. In the distance lies a small city that is subtly lit by several sure brush strokes. The only element that detracts from the whole is the green colour of the surface of the water, which is, however, a characteristic part of Kruseman's summer landscapes.' (see: Van Heteren a.o., op cit, 1998, p. 88).