Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek Dutch, 1840-1912

Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek was born as the third son of the marine painter Hermanus Koekkoek. Like his brothers Hermanus Jr and Willem (who would later become famous for his townscapes) he was taught by his father, who instilled in him a lifelong passion for water: rivers and seas would become his speciality, with a keen eye for the human element.

Although he grew up in Amsterdam and lived in Hilversum for almost 48 years, he was frequently found in the little villages surrounding the Zuiderzee and along the North Sea coast. The lives of sailors and fishermen were chronicled in a refined and colourful style, that in its atmospheric elements had more in common with the Hague School artists than with the Dutch Romanticists.  

The current lot is exceptional in its sense of drama. The rescue of a ship in distress was not a subject he painted quite often. The village in the dunes is Scheveningen, recognizable because of the characteristic dome of the Kurhaus building. This immediately dates the work after 1885, the year the building was constructed. The sweeping panoramic view, under the dark and ominous skies, shows a ship in the distance clearly in distress. Near the coastline the rescuers prepare to enter the choppy waves. A beachcomber carries a piece of driftwood from the sea and two figures on the right hurry towards the scene. It is these vivid details that make the picture all the more alive.

It is the combination of strong chiaroscuro effects and a panoramic viewpoint, together with colourful and finely painted details, that make the current lot a truly exceptional and wonderful piece in this master's oeuvre.