Frederik Marinus Kruseman Dutch, 1816-1882

Frederik Marinus Kruseman came from an important family of artists. He was the cousin of both Cornelis Kruseman, a historical painter and Director of the Amsterdam Academy, and Jan Adam Kruseman, a historical painter and portraitist. He grew up in Haarlem, where he received his first painting lessons from Jan Reekers (1790-1858) and Nicolaas Johannes Roosenboom (1805-1880), pupil and son-in-law of Andreas Schelfhout, who occasionally visited the studio. Roosenboom taught Kruseman the rudiments of landscape painting and most certainly also raised his interest in winter scenes. Encouraged by Roosenboom, he exhibited his first work at the Living Masters Exhibition in 1833 in The Hague. Two years later, he moved to Hilversum for a year, where he studied with Jan van Ravenswaay (1789-1869).

In 1837 Kruseman travelled to Cleves and became heavily influenced by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, who had settled there in 1834. As Jan de Meere suggests in his biography of the artist (1998), Kruseman most probably accompanied B.C. Koekkoek on a journey to the Ahr valley and the village Altenahr in 1837. Koekkoek, one of the founding fathers of Dutch Romantic landscape painting, was to have a lasting influence on both his subject matter and style. From him Kruseman adopted his superb technique and secure handling of paint. 

From 1841 onwards, Kruseman spent most of his time in Brussels. The Belgian capital was the centre of artistic activity in the nineteenth century and it was here, in the house at the Eikstraat, where he met Basile de Loose, who since 1837 rented a studio at the same address. According to Jan de Meere it might be possible that De Loose used Kruseman as a model in his painting ‘ A landscape artist in his studio’

During his second stay in Brussels, from 1856 onwards until his death in 1882, Kruseman painted his most important pictures: highly finished, fairy-like, Arcadian winter landscapes, populated with many figures. The delicately painted trees with their coral-shaped twigs are a recurrent and highly recognisable element in Kruseman’s paintings. The present lot is an excellent example of the refined, full-fledged style of the 60’s, and of such superb quality, that for a long time it was considered to be by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek.