Contact gallery for price		George Willem Opdenhoff Fulda, Prussia 1807 – 1873 La Haye Seascape with Dutch Shipping Oil on canvas 19 3/4 x 27 inches Signed lower right: G.W. Opdenhoff Provenance: 1959, Kunsthandel Gebroeders Koch, The Hague Private American Collection An artist who worked primarily in Rotterdam and The Hague, George Willem Opdenhoff focused his creativity on landscape and marine subjects.  He studied with the renowned landscape painter Andreas Schelfhout and the influential marine painter Johannes Christiaan Schotel.  He traveled extensively and worked throughout Europe: in Breda from 1837 to 1837, then in France, and then Rotterdam before settling near The Hague.  He exhibited at The Hague throughout his career, from 1835 until 1861. In this energetic painting, Opdenhoff has depicted a rough day at sea in the traditional Dutch marine style. At the left two figures wait on a slanted, yet solid pier while waves batter the pilings. Just off the pier a small boat tosses in the choppy waters while the three sailors struggle to keep it under control. The man in the stern of the boat tries to row with a small oar, while the other two manage the billowing sail and rigging. A larger vessel behind the skiff heels over on one side and sets sail for the distance and towing a small dingy through the turbulent water. As with other paintings by the artist, color is reserved for the foreground, which enhances the feeling of depth in the compoistion. While the foreground is a rich and dramatic mix of greens, browns, and blacks, the distance fades to a lighter color palette of pale gray and blue hues. Along the horizon several boats can be seen.  The pale blue sky of the upper left gives way to the ominous billowing clouds that move in from the right.  Rendered with technically accurate details and a smooth finish, the painting exemplifies Opdenhoff’s renowned skills as a marine painter.