Willem Hamel artwork • watercolour • drawing • previously for sale Shepherd and his flock

Willem Hamel had a carefree childhood in Rotterdam until his father died and he had to work as an apprentice. After the craft school he worked as a (decoration) painter and also took painting lessons at the Rotterdam academy. Mauve was as an example to him and with his impressionistic landscapes in muted tones - often with shepherds and sheep - he had immediate success. He found inspiration in Drenthe and Gelderland; he lived in Ede for some time. Due to his poor health, the painter settled in 1913 in Kootwijk, which was surrounded by forest and heath.