Notes:

Co Breman (1865-1938), together with Jan Toorop and Ferdinand Hart Nibbrig, is counted among the most important pointillists of the Netherlands. Pointillism, first applied by George Seurat and Paul Signac in Paris in the 1880s, consists of applying dots of paint in unmixed colors to the canvas. Instead of dots, some pointillists put small, short strokes of paint on the canvas or a combination of dots and strokes. This technique really brings the light in the painting to life. The effect is particularly noticeable when the viewer is at some distance from the painting.

Co Breman, who passed a drawing teacher’s certificate at the drawing school in his native Zwolle, went to Brussels in 1889 where he took lessons at the art academy for a few years. When he then went to Paris to further his skills in painting, he saw the work of Seurat and Signac. Breman was impressed by the warm and clear light that the artists manage to get out of their tubes.

Back in the Netherlands, Co Breman settled in Het Gooi (first in Blaricum, then in Laren) where he joined the painters of the Laren School. His paintings in Neo-Impressionist style are bright in color. The public and critics initially had to get used to the special, vibrating light on his paintings, but his work soon found its way to many buyers. Breman’s paintings are loved both at home and abroad. Co Breman also applies the stippling technique in his landscapes. With dots in all kinds of pastel shades, it gives his paintings a sunny and intense appearance. You can almost feel the soothing warmth of the sun on your skin.

Breman married artist Lizzy Schouten in 1910. Could this be the woman in the current painting? Perhaps!