Colette Pope Heldner

Colette Heldner, "Swamp Idyl"

1930s

An Impressionist-style rendering of a grove of pine trees on a hillside by a beach, by a Ukrainian artist whose name I cannot make out on the back of the canvas (shown) and signed on...

When I first saw this gem of a painting, I thought it was a photograph. Then I looked at it very closely to find that close up, it has the look of an abstract painting! I just don't ...

Hubertus van Hove (The Hague, 1814 - Antwerp, 1865) - Signed H Van Hove and dated 1839 (bottom left) - Coastal landscape with the beach of Scheveningen Oil on panel 62 x 80 cm. - Framed 84 x 102 cm. Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 19th Century European Paintings, Watercolours 12.03.1989, lot 11 (see details in photos) The fine coastal view presented here is a work signed and dated by the Dutch landscape painter Hubertus van Hove (The Hague, 1814 - Antwerp, 1865), son of Bartholomeus van Hove (1790-1880). The work exhibits excellent taste and quality of execution, displaying a tender feeling for nature, romantic in character, and a mastery of drawing and a delicacy of chiaroscuro and harmony that is truly astonishing. Although his major production was concentrated in works depicting domestic scenes, he was also an excellent landscape painter, a master in the use of light that he was able to infuse into his works through quick and precise brushstrokes, creating lively compositions such as the one in the catalogue. Here we see a glimpse of one of the most fascinating beaches in the Netherlands, just a few kilometres from the city of The Hague, overlooking the North Sea. As early as the 17th century, this area became a popular seaside resort for entertainment, strolling and fish-buying among the citizens of nearby The Hague. We are on a bright day on a wide sandy beach populated by numerous people who have come to breathe in the fresh sea air and are engaged in various activities. In the foreground we see a well-dressed couple on horseback, probably on a trip to the seaside, accompanied by a servant and a horseman, observing the catch lying on the beach by a fishing family. Behind them a carriage has stopped, the wealthy passenger chats with another middle-class couple, while a servant protects them from the sun with an umbrella. The space is mainly occupied by the sky, criss-crossed by a few clouds and lit by a pale sun; typical is the clear, gentle light that gives a great sense of tranquillity to the composition. The Dutch were the first to think of the sea in a ''modern'' sense, as a place of recreation, and already in the 17th century the beach of Scheveningen, famous because it was also the subject of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, was a place of pastime and outdoor activity. Many Flemish authors, first and foremost Adriaen van de Velde...

Our next plein air trip was to the ancient city of Phaselis in Turkey. Beautiful coastline with blue and lilac hills. A huge number of yachts stood in the bay. And the unusual variet...