A wonderfully atmospheric oil on board featuring a night market with shoppers perusing in the candlelight. By Johannes Christoffel Vaarberg (1825-1871, Dutch), measuring 34" x 28.5" including the frame.
Vaarberg lived and worked in Amsterdam starting in 1848. He is thought to have studied at the Academy in Amsterdam. Although he painted portraits and contemporary genre, he excelled at recreating historical scenes with dramatic use of light often emanating from candles or lamps. By employing traditional seventeenth century compositional techniques, Vaarberg succeeded in capturing their essence. His work reflects a period when historical paintings were exceedingly popular. In order to make this subject matter more accessible, painters often chose to represent incidents from the lives of the famous as opposed to major events. These works emphasized personal character and experiences with which the viewer could empathize, as in our painting which deals with the theme of rejection and ultimate vindication.
Johannes Frederick Hulk, Jr. was a student of Vaarberg. From 1848 – 1871 Vaarberg exhibited works in Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Rotterdam and Leeuwarden. A painting by the artist is in the Museum Paul Tetar van...
Category
Mid-19th Century Dutch Dutch Colonial Antique Hans de Jong Furniture