Practitioner talk no.4
Meindert Hobbema – The avenue at Middleharnis – 7 May 2011
National gallery curator gave a talk on the dutch Artist Hobbema and his painting The avenue at Middleharnis .
Hobbema was born in Amsterdam in 1638, the son of a carpenter. At the age of 15, he and his younger brother and sister are recorded as having been sent to an orphanage. Two years later, in 1655, Hobbema was taken on as an apprentice to the famous landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael.
However, by 1689 Hobbema was not painting for a living anymore. In 1668 he had obtained a well-paid job with the wine-importers’ association of Amsterdam, and from then on seems to have painted only occasionally. The present painting is one of only a handful of pictures from this period.
The composition of this painting undoubtedly draws you in to be part of the painting. It is a ‘must see’ from a distance.
Hobbema’s design with the avenue of trees receding towards the centre of the picture is simple yet at the same time majestic. The trees are employed to mark the quick recession from foreground to background while the expanse of sky
The exact date of this painting is again up for debate. It is suggested that it is the early seventeenth century. However, there is evidence that it may have been added to. Also in the distance are the tops and masts of sailing boats that are not from the early seventeenth century.
There are some strange fascinating facts to suggest that this is not a real landscape but made up. There are horse and cart tracks but no evidence of a horse and cart. This would have been a busy thoroughfare if it were for real. It has been suggested that this artist had borrowed works from other artists.
The there evidence of intricate details – the man on the right hand side has a cley pipe.
The painting has been transformed in some way probably around the late nineteenth century – the original pigmentation has been re-touched. There is also evidence that there were another set of trees in the foreground. For some reason – with no explanation these appear to have been painted over. There is also evidence that the white and green areas have been retouched.
The last years of Hobbema’s life were harsh. His wife and his two children died in 1704, and five years later Hobbema died to be buried in a pauper’s grave.
