Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
1803 Middelburg – 1862 Cleves
Short information about the artist
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, born in 1803 in Middelburg in the Dutch province of Zeeland, was the most successful scion of an important family of painters. He made a name for himself at a young age with his landscape paintings. One of his favourite motifs was simple country people with cattle, a small, illuminated idyll in the midst of grandiose nature. At the height of his fame, a “koekkoek” was synonymous with a forest view.
More information about the artist
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, born in 1803 in Middelburg in the Dutch province of Zeeland, was the most successful scion of an important family of painters. He made a name for himself at a young age with his landscape paintings. One of his favourite motifs was simple country people with cattle, a small, illuminated idyll in the midst of grandiose nature. At the height of his fame, a “koekkoek” was synonymous with a forest view.
Rhineland
Fascinated by the hilly landscape of the Lower Rhine, Koekkoek settled in Kleve in 1834. He was impressed by the Reichswald and the vastness of the Rhine plain. “Nature itself is the most perfect painting”, he once said. From real individual motifs he composed romantic scenes, atmospheric landscapes that were intended to have an effect on the viewer’s feelings.