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Portrait of Meindert Hobbema. Author Rijksmuseum. WIKIMEDIA
Top 10 Amazing Facts About Meindert Hobbema
Meindert Hobbema was born on 31 October 1638. He was a son of a carpenter named Lubbert Meyndertsz.
He was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Landscapes. Which specialised in views of woodland. However, his most famous painting, The Avenue at Middelharnis shows a different type of scene.
He was a pupil of Jacob Van Ruisdael. Jacob was the Pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Hobbema’s mature period produced paintings that adopted one aspect of his Master’s.
The most of mature works are from the 1660s. However, after his marriage, he took a job as an exciseman in 1668. This led him to paint less and he never painted after 1689.
Meindert was not well recognized in his lifetime or for nearly a century after his death. He became steadily more popular from the last decades of the 18th century until the 20th century.
Let’s learn more about this Dutch Golden Age painter of Landscapes.
1. He was sent to an Orphanage at the Age of 15
Hobbema was born in Amsterdam in 1638. He was the son of a carpenter. Together with his younger brother and sister, they were sent to an Orphanage. Hobbema was 15 years old, in 1653.
Meyndert Lubbertszoon was his real name. However, he adopted Hobbema quite early on, although it is not known why.
2. He was a Pupil of a Pre-eminent Painter
After spending two years in an orphanage, Hobbema left and became the pupil of a famous painter. Jacob Van Ruisdael was the Pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age.
In his early work, Hobbema closely followed the compositions of Ruisdael. Several of Hobbema’s works were passed off as being works of his master.
3. His paintings had a Characteristic of Rich Texture
A Village among Trees. Author Meindert Hobbema.WIKIMEDIA
After following the compositions of his master. Hobbema finally owned individual style. His style is much lighter than that of Ruisdael in both tone and mood.
Hobbema specialised in elaborated woodland scenes. He painted rural scenes of the sun-dappled countryside, thickly studded with trees and with scattered rustic buildings.
Hobbema’s landscapes were carefully composed and featured meticulous renderings of twisted foliage and gentle terrain. Watermills were a favourite motif.
4. He Painted a Conner of his Street in his painting
Haarlem Lock of Amsterdam.Author Hobbema. WIKIMEDIA
Hobbema’s painting which was known as the Haarlem Lock of Amsterdam, and is currently in the National Gallery was his only townscape painting to be accepted generally. The painting also shows trees and water in the foreground.
In the painting, Hobbema painted one of the corners of the street where he was living in 1668. In this painting he delegated human figures which was a common practice in that period.
5. He Married a Maidservant to an Important Politician Figure in Dutch
Hobbema married at the age of thirty. His wife was Eeltje Vinck from Gorcum. She was a Maidservant to the burgomaster Lambert Reynst. An important political figure in the republican Dutch states party.
Hobbema’s wife was four years older than him. The wedding took place in the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam, on 2 November 1668.
The witnesses were the bride’s brother Cornelius Vinck and Jacob van Ruisdael. The couple had five children.
6. A wine- Gauger for the Amsterdam Customs
In 1668, Hobbema became a wine- gauger position for the Amsterdam Octroi. This was presumably through the connection with his wife’s ex-employer.
This was a well-paid position. Hobbema’s roles were assessing and collecting local taxes on wine. He did this job until his death.
7. The Wine Gauger position Reduced his Activity as a Painter
A Stormy Landscape.Author Hobbema, Meindert. WIKIMEDIA
This is his full-time job. It caused his artistic endeavours to be reserved for his spare time. Hobbema painting output slowed down considerably and was so erratic.
8. Explore his Most Famous Painting
The Alley at Middelharnis. Author Meindert Hobbema – Web Gallery of Art. Wikimedia
After a long break from his painting work. Hobbema produced his most famous work in twenty years. This was in 1689.
Hobbema’s most notable work is The Avenue at Middelharnis. The painting is now in the National Gallery, London.
The painting shows a road leading to the village of Middelharnis on the Island of Goeree-Overflakkee. The reason ad was known as the Boomgaardwe, right now it is known as the Steene Weg.
The painting also shows the village and church of Middelharnis in the province of South Holland. Hobbema also included a fantastic Paint of a gentleman with his dog.
The head of the man is at a level with the vanishing point of the perspective and very close to it. The man has a gun sloped over his shoulder and a satchel.
Hobbema’s design with the avenue of trees receding towards the centre of the picture is majestic and simple. The trees are painted to mark the quick recession from foreground to background.
The expanse of the sky is emphasized by the upward-pointing trees. However, the paint of the sky was largely repainted in 1951, much of which was removed in 1972. The billowing cloud to the right is the best-preserved section.
9. The French and the English Appreciated His Work more than the Dutch
A wooded landscape with a Watermill. Author Hobbema.WIKIMEDIA
Meindert Hobbema was not well recognized during his Lifetime, not even nearly a century after his death. He became steadily recognized from the last decades of the 18th century until the 20th century.
The English and the French were more appreciative of his work than the Dutch in the 18th century. Moreover, a large number of his work left Holland.
Hobbema’s style of painting become more influential and respected during the Romantic Period. Notably, in England, his work began to climb in value.
By the 1820s prices could be over £1,000, and by 1900 over £10,000. A record price of £33,000 was reached in 1933 with a sale to America of work from the Jan Six collection.
The highest recent prices include a painting now in the Mauritshuis, The Hague, that was sold in December 1995 for £3.74 million. Moreover, a larger picture now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, sold in July 2001 for £6.5 million.
Today, Hobbema’s works are held in the collections of the National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, among others.
10. He was Buried In the Paupers’ Section
The Hobbema family lived an impoverished life. This was after the Dutch art market had largely collapsed.
He died in 1709 and was buried in the paupers’ section of the Westerkerk cemetery in Amsterdam. Moreover, his wife was also buried in the paupers’ section of the Leiden cemetery in Amsterdam.
Hobbema’s modern critical reputation was equivocal. Some of the critics of his work expressed boredom with his woodland scenes but others were more appreciative.
The situation of this critic is based on the lack of art historical scholarship on him. Throughout his career, there has not been a monograph since the year 1938. This received a savage review from Neil MacLaren who was the National Gallery’s Dutch specialist.
According to Kenneth Clark, he thought that “an artist as skilful as Hobbema grows tedious because the elaborately described trees in his woodland scenes are not subordinated to a general principle of light”.
Hobbema was one of the greatest painters who struggled hard to make his career successful. His work has throughout the years encouraged the upcoming painters to master the art of resilience and give their best in their work.
Although his hard work had not been recognized by the Dutch some years back, he encourages the young generations to be more patient because everything will pay off one day.
