Oil on canvas. Probably a landscape near Kleve, Germany. Kleve (or Kleef) was the home of B.C. Koekkoek, the “king” of 19th century landscape paintings.

The majority of his life Johannes Warnardus Bilders lived and worked near Arnhem, in the charming village Oosterbeek. The old oak forests and heaths around this village were a source of inspiration for him.

Around 1860 he was one of the first painters in Holland to discover the French School of Barbizon. After that, he often worked ‘en plein air’ and applied his paint in a loose, more daring touch. For this reason, he is called one of the precursors of The Hague School.

He also taught his son Gerard Bilders and Hendrik Willem Mesdag.

Other work in the collection by J.W. Bilders: