Horizon of The Hague
Light, Air, Water
Anyone gazing at the clouds over the North Sea will see more than a lovely movable tableau: they will witness an ancient dialogue between air, light, water and the Dutch landscape.
From Schelfhout untill now
Going outside
The exhibition opens with Andreas Schelfhout, a pioneer who – even before the Barbizon painters – worked outdoors to capture the Scheveningen landscape. His cloud studies marked the beginning of The Hague School, represented by artists such as Mesdag, the Maris brothers and Weissenbruch, whose work centred on light, air and water.
From modernism to new light
From the interbellum period to the 21st century, the landscape of The Hague has continued to inspire artists: Jan Mankes, Willem Hussem and Co Westerik, for instance, sought new forms and meanings in the coastal landscape. Westerik depicted the sea as a sensual experience, while Hussem’s seascapes were reduced to abstract compositions.
The latter portion of the exhibition focuses on contemporary artists who are conducting fresh explorations of the light, air and water in The Hague. Sebastiaan Spit, for instance, toys with clouds and shadows over the water, while Marjolein Knottenbelt breathes new life into old paintings and the sea is given literal, tactile form in Cassandra van Veen’s works.
Featuring over 60 works from museum and private collections, this exhibition brings the phenomenal light of The Hague’s coastline – so masterfully captured by two centuries of the city’s painters – to life once more.
