Barend Cornelis Koekkoek

Koekkoek, Barend Cornelis (Oct 11, 1803 - Apr 5, 1862) was a Dutch landscape artist and father of Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek

Barend Cornelis Koekkoek came to be known during his lifetime as the “Prince of Landscape Painting” and was by far the most applauded landscapist of his time and regarded as the founding father of Dutch romantic landscape painting The recipient of endless awards and decorations, he counted among his clients King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV of Prussia, Tsar Alexander II, and King Willem II of the Netherlands

He grew up in an artistic environment His father Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778–1851) was a renowned marine painter, from whom he received his earliest tuition His brothers Hermanus Koekkoek (1815–1882) and Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek (1807–1868) were both successful artists, the first as a painter of marine subjects and river scenes, the second as a landscapist In 1817 he enrolled at the Drawing Academy of Middelburg, where he studied under Abraham Krayestein On moving to Amsterdam in 1822, he studied for four years at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, and by 1824, at 19 years of age, he voiced his ambition to become a painter of landscapes

He concentrated on extensive wooded landscapes in summer and winter, a theme deducted from the four season series Like other Romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich, Koekkoek painted the motif of tiny figures within imposing, majestic natural environments to contrast humble humanity with the greatness of creation

This was a popular subject matter in the Golden Age, the main source of inspiration for nineteenth-century artists A two years stay in the rural setting of Hilversum (1826–1827), housing a colony of landscape and cattle painters, strengthened his decision The landscapes he painted in the rural surroundings of Hilversum were received favourably In 1829, the Amsterdam society Felix Meritis awarded one of Koekkoek's summer landscapes a gold medal In 1833 he married Elise Thérèse Daiwaille (1814–81), the daughter of his longtime teacher and friend, Master Jean Augustin Daiwaille, with whom he had five daughters

The flat Dutch countryside could not satisfy Koekkoek’s romantic soul for very long ‘Surely’, Koekkoek wrote in 1841 ‘Our fatherland boasts no rocks, waterfalls, high mountains or romantic valleys Proud, sublime nature is not to be found in our land’ With that in mind, in the summer of 1834 he moved to the old Ducal capital of Cleves, Germany, where he found his ideal subject matter in the region of the Ahr, Ruhr and Rhine Soon large oak trees, winding paths and panoramic views filled his paintings with an artful blend of minute detail and atmospheric mood In Cleves, where he would spend the rest of his life, Koekkoek painted his most important landscapes, ranging from extensive river valleys to idyllic forest views dominated by one or more oaks He often dramatized his trees as a means to emphasize man’s paltriness in comparison to nature

By 1841, Koekkoek had earned such regard from his fellow artists that he decided to publish a book of lessons for students, Herinneringen en Mededeelingen van eenen Landschapsschilder ("Recollections and Communications of a Landscape Painter"), in which he aired the view that an artist must, above all, stay true to nature through meticulous observation and rigorous draughtsmanship This seminal work took the form of a leisurely journey along the Rhine, pointing out to the reader various qualities of nature and landscape The same year, by popular demand from young artists eager to receive his tuition, Koekkoek founded his own drawing academy (Zeichen Collegium), and in his footsteps, many artists travelled to the former ducal residence seeking instruction from the great master at the academy, among them Frederik Marinus Kruseman, Lodewijk Johannes Kleijn, and Johann Bernard Klombeck Closely adhering to their master's principles expressed in his writings and in his paintings, these artists collectively gave rise to the school of landscape painting referred to as 'Cleves Romanticism', blending realism with a pervading idealized atmosphere He advised his students to study nature closely, to observe the qualities of light at dawn and at sunset and the development of storms He also guided his students in the examination of Dutch seventeenth century masters The 1840s-50s saw Koekkoek at the very height of his genius In November 1859 Koekkoek suffered from a major stroke which effectively ended his career as a painter He died April 5, 1862, in his beloved town of Cleves

Work:
Koekkoek’s own paintings reveal a careful study and synthesis of Dutch seventeenth-century painters His art is firmly rooted in the great Dutch romantic tradition established by the seventeenth-century masters: Hobbema, Cuyp, Ruisdael and Wynants The golden light and the inclusion of travellers in his work suggests Koekkoek also admired the Dutch Italianate painters of the seventeenth century, collectively known as the Bamboccianti, especially Pieter van Laer and Jan Both

Koekkoek imagined his pictures as the result of an ideal combination of observation and artifice He studied art and nature with equal acuity, creating beautiful landscape paintings that celebrated the greatness of Creation ‘Koekkoek's work impresses the spectator by its power, by the firm and correct construction of the trees, by the broad, natural growth of the leaves and boughs, [and] by the careful and elaborate reproduction of the wooded landscape’ (G H Marius, Dutch Painters of the Nineteenth Century, Woodbridge, 1973, p 89) Up to this day, Koekkoek's work is very much favoured for the lively composition and the mood of nostalgia, in which the Dutch Golden Age seems to linger on Just as he was during his own lifetime, Koekkoek is widely regarded as the most accomplished landscape painter of Dutch romanticism, against whose scrupulously refined paintings the work his contemporaries is measured

The "Drawing College" of BC Koekkoek:
In 1841 Koekkoek founded a drawing academy in an upper room of the former town hall on the Grote Straat in Kleef Twice a week he signed here with his numerous students to live model Once a month, he and his students corrected their free work Thus, in Kleef, as part of Dutch romanticism, was the Kleefse painters school Koekkoek had about forty students, including his brother-in-law Alexander Joseph Daiwaille and his brother Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek, Johann Bernhard Klombeck, Louwrens Hanedoes and Cornelis Lieste Full-fledged membership of talented ladies was less easy, as the painter Anna van Sandick wrote in her memoirs: "When I came to Cleve in48, I first had Koekoek's first teaching, painting in the landscape, which I wanted to have at his studio But at that time, that was not the case "O time spirit, all of it! Now everything is permissible from teaching, he came home with me, as well as JB Klombeck from time to time, but at workshops I've never been" ] In the work of these artists, like the Koekkoek itself, the untouched nature of the Kleefs-German country with its forests and attractive views is glorified

The BC Koekkoek House and the Belvèdere:
In 1834 Koekkoek moved with his wife to Kleef The reason for this move was that Kleef for Koekkoek offered picturesque panoramas The city is located on several hills and as a result, there is a good view of the Rhine and the low plains north and east of the city In addition, many parks and forests were built in the 17th century by Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen, among others The spectacular panoramas found in the eyes of Koekkoek were therefore the reason that he first built a studio tower (French: Belvédère) with windows on the north, east and west, before moving to the construction of a house

After living in several rented houses in Kleef, Koekkoek built an artist's house to form his masterpiece status This in keeping with the artists' homes in Italy that he will definitely have seen during his visit to Italy In 1842 the construction began, which was completed in 1848 The artist's house is built in classical style and consists of three floors Here Koekkoek received its key customers from all over the world

Haus Koekkoek:
After his death, his widow is the artist's house Small renovations took place, the ground floor had a dental practice for some time, but the layout of the bell floor and many details in the stairwell are still original In a miraculous way, the house resisted the bombings on Kleef in the aftermath of the Second World War The surrounding buildings were completely destroyed From 1945 to 1960 the building served as the town hall When using a newly built town hall, the Haus Koekkoek was decorated as an urban museum in which the works of him and other Koekkoeks were to be exhibited

Museum Haus Koekkoek has a large collection of work by BC Koekkoek and other landscape painters of his time There are also paintings that are related to the history of Kleef On the top floor there are rooms with changing exhibits On the ground floor is a museum shop The museum was guided by Dutch art historian Guido de Werd from 1976 to 2010, who was also director of Museum Kurhaus in the same place from 1997 to 2010 The activities of Haus Koekkoek are financed financially by the Stiftung BC Koekkoek-Haus

The classic painter's palace is located at the Koekkoekplatz (formerly: Kavarinerstraße 33) in the center of Kleef The house, together with the Belvedere, is a special monument where the paintings of romantic painters from Kleef are central In addition to the Kurhaus Kleef Museum and Schwanenburg Castle, the BC Koekkoek House is one of the most characteristic buildings in the city Since 2006, in the middle of the Koekkoekplatz is a bust that depicts the artist at the age of 41, at the height of his fame
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