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The Dordrecht painter Anthonie Pieter Schotel, descendant of the famous sea painter Johannes Christiaan Schotel, wanted to become a painter from an early age. At an early age he received painting lessons from Herman Gunneweg, who taught him to paint from nature as the French Impressionists did. In 1915, Schotel finally chose to become an artist full-time - although his parents preferred to see him go into the trade - and he rented a studio on the Bomkade in Dordrecht. He painted cityscapes and still lifes, but his great love was painting water and ships. It was the Zuiderzee, with its sailing boats and the intimate tranquility of the falling evening on the water that attracted him most. He was strong in light effects, clouds and water. When work on the Afsluitdijk started in 1918, Schotel could be found almost every day in the ports of the Zuiderzee to record the changes that are taking place here. His work also shows that he was a photographer. He did not shy away from sometimes painting daring cut-offs of botters that were only half depicted.
In 1925, Schotel and his wife Elisabeth moved for two years to Volendam, the fishing village that had stolen their hearts. 'The reality gloriously exceeded the inspiration that Schotel had been promised by his fellow artists', his wife later said about a first visit to Volendam in 1920. And about the period they lived there she said: 'What always impressed me the most was that first view of the Gouwzee! If you came through Monnickendam, through that main street with those beautiful old houses, it was breathtaking to suddenly see that enormous expanse of water in front of you at the end. On the horizon was the island of Marken and wherever you looked, you saw botters and botters and botters'. Those botters were the ships that so fascinated Schotel; They appear in almost every work from that period, painted with great precision. Because he was afraid of water, he could always be found in the harbor studying the botters from the shore and he also had models of botters at hand. In the 1920s, Schotel also made a few trips abroad, to London, Belgium and France. On the French coast he paints work where the influence of 'French light' is clearly visible. In Paris he paints colorful cityscapes.
In 1927 the couple left for Vlissingen and shortly afterwards to Rotterdam, where Schotel painted the busy activities at the Maashaven and where the atmosphere was very different from that of the small fishing villages on the Zuiderzee. In Rotterdam he perfected a way of painting that he started in Volendam. On a uniform blue background he applies thick touches of white to reflect the vibrant light. He mainly uses shades of gray, green and blue, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and timelessness. This appeals to many people who praise his work for its 'pearlescent nuance' and 'sparkling light'.
In 1929 the couple moved to another artists' village, Laren, where a wealthy buyer's public had now settled. Here Schotel regularly paints still lifes, again in pastel shades, but capturing harbor towns remains his favorite activity. Schotel had his first solo exhibition in Laren in 1936 in Kunstzaal Hamdorff. In the same year he also became a member of St. Luke in Amsterdam and of Arti et Amicitiae in 1940. The 1930s were very successful because he belonged to the conservative group of painters who worked according to the old tradition.
Schotel continued to do good business during the Second World War, his work matched the art ideal of the occupier. At the end of the war, a dark period begins for him and he spends a period in Berlin. A few years after his return to the Netherlands, new work was created again. Less daring than before, but just as popular.
