Hello dear Friends ! Today I would like to present you Willem van de Velde the Younger ( 1633 – 1707 ), the most famous Dutch painter of seascapes and shipping scenes. Many connoisseurs agree – in the category of broad, calm shipping scenes Willem van de Velde is without rival. So perfect are some of his calm seas that they succeed in giving a feeling of serenity and well-being to the spectator. His cleverness with storms, too, is unequalled, and his ships in destress can often raise a shudder.
'' The Cannon Shot '', oil on canvas , Image Source
Considering his long career, authentic pictures by Van de Velde are rare. The reason for this is probably they took a long time to paint. The enormous and complicated battle scenes must contain several months' work.
The 'Gouden Leeuw' at the Battle of Texel, 21 August 1673, oil on canvas , Image Source
'' A Ship on the High Seas Caught by a Squall, Known as ‘The Gust’ '', oil on canvas , Image Source
'' Ships in a Stormy Sea '', oil on canvas , Image Source
Willem van de Velde, unlike many of his contemporaries, was also a draughtsman of significance. Most of his surviving drawings range from slight impressions of boats or groups of boats to the most incredibly detailed studies of individual ships or parts of them.
'' Portrait of the English Ship ‘Princess’ '', Pen and ink over pencil , Image Source
Most of the seascapes painted in England in the 18th century and the early part of the 19th are in some way influenced by Willem van de Velde – he initiated a whole school of painting.
A memorial to Willem van de Velde the Older and Willem van de Velde the Younger in St James's Church, Piccadilly.