Notes
Andreas Schelfhout was the most important and successful landscape painter of the Dutch Romantic period (c. 1800-1850). He created a large oeuvre and played an important role in the cultural life of his time.

Schelfhout started as a house painter in the framing business of his father. He already started painting pictures in his spare time.

After a well-received first exhibition in The Hague, his father sent him to receive proper training to Joannes Breckenheimer (1772–1856), a stage designer, in The Hague. He learned not only the technical aspects of painting, but also made detailed studies of the 17th-century Dutch landscape artists Meindert Hobbema and Jacob van Ruisdael.

In 1815, Schelfhout started his own workshop and became a member of the Pulchri Studio. Through his technical excellence and sense of composition and his use of naturalistic colours, he soon became famous also outside The Hague. In 1819 he was awarded the Gold Medal at the exhibition in Antwerp. In 1818 he became a member of the Royal Academy for Visual Arts of Amsterdam. His reputation continued to grow and in 1822 he was given the rank of Fourth Class Correspondent of the Royal Dutch Institute. From then on, one exhibition followed after another. His famous pupil was Johan B. Jongkind.

Initially Schelfhout painted mainly summer scenes, beach scenes, and animal paintings. But as his initial winter scenes even had more success, he began to include them in his exhibitions. He was mainly a studio artist, relying on his sketches done en plein air.

Many of Schelfhout’s paintings are based on drawings he made on his trip to Paris in the beginning of 1833. This current painting is believed to be painted soon after he returned from Paris. It shows his palette had become brighter and more colourful through his French experiences. This richly detailed landscape is also notable for its skilful handling of light and shadow.

Museums that exhibit artwork(s) by Andreas Schlefhout:

National Gallery (London), Wallace Collection (London), Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), KMSK Antwerpen, Victoria & Albert Museum (London), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Dordrechts Museum, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Groeningemuseum (Brugge), Kröller-Müller Museum (Otterlo), Royal Museum of Fine Arts (Brussels), Museum Jan Cunen (Oss), Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Gent), Teylers Museum (Haarlem), Tyne and Wear Museum (Newcastle upon Tyne), Villa Vauban (Luxembourg).