Artz, born this day in 1837, created warm, sentimental, and realistic paintings like Awaiting Father's Homecoming and The First Step.
David Adolf Constant Artz trained at the Amsterdam Academy and was inspired by Jozef Israels, the leader of the Hague school of who specialized in painting the lives of farmers and fishermen. Artz moved to Paris from 1866-1874, where he set up his own studio at the suggestion of the great artist Courbet. Artz was not only an artist but a respected collector.
Artz was an important member of the Hague School of Art. The Hague School is the name given to a group of artists (1860-1890) who rejected traditional views and the “history” painting style that dominated art academies of the day. Instead of idealizing their subjects, they tried to imbue their paintings with a realistic representation of what they saw. These painters admired the work of the Barbizon School; like these French painters they preferred to work outside in the open air and depict everyday reality. The main aspect that they tried to capture was naturalistic light and atmosphere of the landscape. Jozef Israels traveled to Barbizon to experience the new developments in French realism.
Artists who were influenced by the Hague School include Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondrian. Mondrian’s early work shows a clear connection to the Hague School of naturalistic landscape painting. Van Gogh’s artistic development lay in his exposure to their realistic approach and their interest in the hard lives of field workers and fishermen.
Lately there has been a growing interest in the atmospheric art of the Hague School and art lovers have a variety of venues to enjoy it.
