catalog text
"COWS GRAZING" BY WILLEM GEORGE FREDERIK JANSEN (DUTCH, 1871-1949)
Signed "W G F Jansen" lower left, oil on panel
Item # 130105QIP17
This is a fine antique oil painting on panel by Willem George Frederik Jansen capturing a nostalgic countryside scene of the rural Netherlands. Cows graze in an overgrown pasture beneath a bright blue cloud speckled sky, a small creek trickling past a small dinghy as a young woman looks on from her small home. It is a simply gorgeous little piece, capturing with bright colors and broad strokes of the brush a scene of simplicity and honesty. The level of depth in each color is noteworthy, many layers making up each figure with careless strokes that accomplish a highly detailed and vivid scene. In every way an outstanding work by Jansen, this precious piece is an investment grade work of art.
Born in Harlingen in 1871, Willem George Frederik Jansen lived in Haarlem near the coast. Studying art there and training as a ceramic artist and designer, he worked in ceramic factories of Rozenburg and Distel, later working in the Hague and moving to live in Amsterdam in 1908.
As a painter, Jansen's work was heavily influenced by the sea, much of his talent devoted to coastal genre scenes, countryside landscapes and seascapes capturing the North Sea. Stylistically, his work was influenced heavily by the Hague School, adopting the heavy atmosphere and impressionistic brush work associated with work of his counterparts. His works can be found in museums in: Enkhuizen, Harlingen and Laren.
Measurements: [framed] 17 1/4" x 21" [canvas] 10 1/2" x 14 1/4"
Condition Report:
Frame with light wear/chipping/cracks. Surface of painting has not been cleaned, though it does appear to be bright and without much need. Frame is possibly later.