The Sea near Katwijk

In 1885 Toorop was living in Brussels, where he was a member of the artists’ circle called Les Vingt (the 20). He was exposed there to the work of Gustave Courbet (on view in this gallery), who often painted with a palette knife. Two years later, Toorop made this sea-scape, also using a palette knife in places. The effect is realistic; however when seen close up, it features an incredible mixture …