1844 -1910 · Hague School, water, livestock and atmosphere

Willem Maris paints cows, ducks and willows to capture the humid light of polders: the animal becomes a measure of air, water and season.

Willem Maris was born in The Hague in 1844 into a family of artists. His brothers Jacob and Matthijs also became major figures in Dutch painting. Willem received training at the Hague Academy, but worked mainly on the motif and learned from painters close to the future Hague School. Unlike the group's often gray tones, his palette brightened willingly when sun, water and foliage met. He paints low meadows, ditches, mills and especially herds. He paints low meadows, ditches, mills and especially herds. Cows are not simple animal subjects: their light or brown mass gives scale to the landscape and sometimes reflects the light of the sky in the water. Ducks and calves introduce a discreet movement among the reeds. Maris observes the changes of time and season without detailing each blade of grass; a supple touch unites humidity, vegetation and animals. His work thus combines Dutch pastoral tradition and a modern sense of atmosphere. The "Willem Maris" selection offers its own journey on this subject. His reading favors composition.

Willem Maris said he paints light rather than cows: the animal is the point where sky, grass and water become visible together.