Floris Arntzenius Dutch, 1864-1925

Floris Arntzenius received his education at the Amsterdam Academy, alongside fellow students G.H. Breitner, Isaac Israels and Willem Witsen. A typical representative of his time, he felt attracted to the atmospheric art of the Hague School as well as the more mundane, spontaneous art of the Amsterdam Impressionists. In his beach scenes he was clearly more influenced by the latter. There were no bomschuiten drawn on the beach, no fishermen bringing in the catch, no women mending the nets. His depiction of beach life features well dressed ladies lounging in beehive chairs, gentlemen reading the newspapers and little children playing in the sand.

The relaxing, sunny atmosphere of the seaside is clearly the subject he strove to depict. In this wonderful watercolour we see elegant figures dressed in bright colours whose contours, rather than their actions, articulate the space. Arntzenius was particularly interested in that backdrop; movement did not interest him that much. This can also be seen in the figures, most of who are still and seen from the back; the sea breeze is only suggested in the wave of the surf and the fluttering hair and skirt of the girl dressed in white playing by the flood line. With its exceptionally beautiful composition and fresh colouring this work, which has remained in private hands for 30 years, is an absolute masterpiece in this masters’ oeuvre. Its atmosphere is serene, one of 'luxe, calme et volupté', a fleeting impression which has becomes a lasting chronicle of the artist’s time.