oil on canvas, signed
framed and under glass

image size 49cm x 39cm, overall size 76cm x 66cm

Note: Dutch artist, Bernard De Hoog, produced a rich oeuvre of gentle interior scenes, which celebrated the everyday moments within family - particularly between mothers and their children. Newborns are cradled within their mother's arms while siblings read in rustic kitchens. In many respects, De Hoog’s work is comparable to the great Dutch painter, Jozef Israëls (1924-1911) and ultimately rooted within the traditions of the Dutch masters. During his time studying under the eminent Jan van Essen, he produced numerous copies of old masters while honing his
technique. It’s said that his career began through chance when working in an office for a merchant. Rather than figures in a ledger, the merchant discovered various sketches and drawings and was so impressed that he asked the young De Hoog to paint his wife. This, in turn, led to the artist’s tutelage under a drawing master and later, an academy. When we look back across his body of work, the consistent thread is a celebration of simple family life and the instinctive love between a mother and child. Misty sentimentalism majestically described with an impressionistic touch. In 1939, De Hoog’s work was shown in an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.