Paul Gabriël
Encyclopedia
Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël ( Amsterdam, 5 July 1828 - The Hague, 23 August 1903 ) was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher who belonged to the Hague School
.
Gabriël was the son of the sculptor and painter, Paul Joseph Gabriël. From 1840 until 1843 he was educated at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, where he was a pupil of Louis Zocher. The following year he he went to the German town of Cleves, where Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
had founded a drawing academy. Later he returned to the Netherlands and studied with Cornelis Lieste in Haarlem. Here he became acquainted with Anton Mauve
, with whom he was to work with often.
In 1853 Gabriël moved to Ooosterbeek, also called the 'Dutch Barbizon', where landscape painter Johannes Warnardus Bilders
had gathered around him many young painters. The members of this group would later become central figures in the Hague School. In 1858, Gabriël introduced Anton Mauve to the area, who would return there ten years in a row and would become good friends with Gerard Bilders
, the son of Johannes Warnardus.
When Gabriël returned to Amsterdam to live, he had a hard time and moved to Brussels. There he was befriended by Willem Roelofs
and benefited from Roelof's social position in the art world of Brussels. There he met Hendrik Willem Mesdag
, also a student of Roelofs.
Gabriël was also influenced by the painters of the Barbizon School
, whose works were regularly exhibited in Brussels. Helped by Roeolof's suggestions, he developed into a good landscape painter, with a clear palette. Gabriël's paintings stand out from the 'grey tones' for which the Hague School was famous because of his clear use of color. His work was less an impression of atmosphere than a consequence of the immediate effect of the sunny Dutch landscape. The more he looked at the Dutch landscape, the more color he perceived in it. He described the Dutch countryside as 'colorful, juicy, fat' and said 'Our land is not grey, even when the weather is grey.'
From 1862 onwards, Gabriel regularly embarked on study trips to the Netherlands: first to Arnhem and Oosterbeek, in 1866 to Veenendaal, in the seventies to Abcoude and Vreeland, and from 1875 to the lakes around Nieuwkoop near Noorden. Around 1880, he spent the summers in Kortenhoef, on Kampereiland and in Giethoorn. He visited the places in Overijssel with Willem Bastiaan Tholen
. But it was only in 1864 that Gabriel would permanently return to the Netherlands. At that time he moved to Scheveningen, where he bought a house next to his student Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar. Together they painted still lifes with flowers.
In this period he often painted the brook near Voorschoten, as well as in Broeksloot (1886), Oosterbeek (ca. 1887), Kinderdijk and Heeze. In 1886, he stayed with the Mesdags at their home in Vries in Drente, where he made studies of the fields, barns and farms. In this period Gabriel also received recognition in the Netherlands. Museums purchased some of his important pieces, including 'The Pottery in Kampen', purchased by the Hague Gemeentemuseum in 1890. Gabriel died on 23 August 1903 in his home in Scheveningen.
Hague School
The Hague School is the name given to a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist painters of the French Barbizon school. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relatively sombre colours, which is why...
.
Gabriël was the son of the sculptor and painter, Paul Joseph Gabriël. From 1840 until 1843 he was educated at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, where he was a pupil of Louis Zocher. The following year he he went to the German town of Cleves, where Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek
Koekkoek, Barend Cornelis Dutch landscape artist and father of Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek.-Life:...
had founded a drawing academy. Later he returned to the Netherlands and studied with Cornelis Lieste in Haarlem. Here he became acquainted with Anton Mauve
Anton Mauve
Anthonij Rudolf Mauve was a Dutch realist painter who was a leading member of the Hague School. He signed his paintings 'A. Mauve' or with a monogrammed 'A.M.'. He was a very significant early influence on his cousin-in-law Vincent van Gogh.Most of Mauve's work depicts people and animals in...
, with whom he was to work with often.
In 1853 Gabriël moved to Ooosterbeek, also called the 'Dutch Barbizon', where landscape painter Johannes Warnardus Bilders
Johannes Warnardus Bilders
Johannes Warnardus Bilders was a Dutch painter who was the father of Gerard Bilders and a forerunner of the Hague School.Johannes Bilders was born in Utrecht and took lessons from Jan Lodewijk Jonxis...
had gathered around him many young painters. The members of this group would later become central figures in the Hague School. In 1858, Gabriël introduced Anton Mauve to the area, who would return there ten years in a row and would become good friends with Gerard Bilders
Gerard Bilders
Albertus Gerardus Bilders was a Dutch painter and collector who associated with some members of the Hague School....
, the son of Johannes Warnardus.
When Gabriël returned to Amsterdam to live, he had a hard time and moved to Brussels. There he was befriended by Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs
Willem Roelofs was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, etcher, lithographer and draughtsman. Roelofs was one of the forerunners of the Dutch Revival art, after the Romantic Classicism of the beginning of the 19th century, which led to the formation of The Hague school.Willem Roelofs was born in...
and benefited from Roelof's social position in the art world of Brussels. There he met Hendrik Willem Mesdag
Hendrik Willem Mesdag
Hendrik Willem Mesdag was a Dutch marine painter.He was born in Groningen, the son of the banker Klaas Mesdag and his wife Johanna Wilhelmina van Giffen. Mesdag was encouraged by his father, an amateur painter, to study art...
, also a student of Roelofs.
Gabriël was also influenced by the painters of the Barbizon School
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
, whose works were regularly exhibited in Brussels. Helped by Roeolof's suggestions, he developed into a good landscape painter, with a clear palette. Gabriël's paintings stand out from the 'grey tones' for which the Hague School was famous because of his clear use of color. His work was less an impression of atmosphere than a consequence of the immediate effect of the sunny Dutch landscape. The more he looked at the Dutch landscape, the more color he perceived in it. He described the Dutch countryside as 'colorful, juicy, fat' and said 'Our land is not grey, even when the weather is grey.'
From 1862 onwards, Gabriel regularly embarked on study trips to the Netherlands: first to Arnhem and Oosterbeek, in 1866 to Veenendaal, in the seventies to Abcoude and Vreeland, and from 1875 to the lakes around Nieuwkoop near Noorden. Around 1880, he spent the summers in Kortenhoef, on Kampereiland and in Giethoorn. He visited the places in Overijssel with Willem Bastiaan Tholen
Willem Bastiaan Tholen
Willem Bastiaan Tholen was a Dutch painter, draftsman and printmaker with some connections to members of the Hague School....
. But it was only in 1864 that Gabriel would permanently return to the Netherlands. At that time he moved to Scheveningen, where he bought a house next to his student Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar. Together they painted still lifes with flowers.
In this period he often painted the brook near Voorschoten, as well as in Broeksloot (1886), Oosterbeek (ca. 1887), Kinderdijk and Heeze. In 1886, he stayed with the Mesdags at their home in Vries in Drente, where he made studies of the fields, barns and farms. In this period Gabriel also received recognition in the Netherlands. Museums purchased some of his important pieces, including 'The Pottery in Kampen', purchased by the Hague Gemeentemuseum in 1890. Gabriel died on 23 August 1903 in his home in Scheveningen.
Source
- Sillevis, John and Tabak, Anne, The Hague School Book, Waanders Uitgegevers, Zwolle, 2004 (pp 245-250)