de Zwart Willem

Willem de Zwart was a Dutch artist, born in The Hague in 1862 and died in The Hague in 1931. He was a versatile artist, working as a painter, draftsman, etcher, watercolorist, and pottery painter. De Zwart received his education at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, where he was taught by, among others, Jacob Maris. He was part of the Hague School and later showed influences of impressionism in his style. His works covered a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, and portraits. His paintings are characterized by a loose brushwork and a lively use of color. He worked and lived mainly in The Hague until 1894, and later also in Amsterdam (1900-1905). During his career, he made several copies of works by old masters such as Vermeer, Potter, and Rembrandt, and he studied animals and their anatomy in detail. 
His oeuvre shows a clear influence of the Hague School in the choice of subjects, but his exuberant use of color and application of paint also connect him with the Amsterdam School of impressionism. He was sometimes called the "Hague Breitner" due to the similarities in style with George Hendrik Breitner. De Zwart was not only a painter but also active in ceramics, working for the porcelain factory Rozenburg, among others. His works can be found in various museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Haags Gemeentemuseum. (BT)