Barend Polvliet was initially an officer in the artillery, but later devoted himself to painting. He painted and drew figures in action, mostly on land, and landscapes. In 1906 he won the Willink van Collen Prize for his 'Sunset in the fens'. Polvliet lived and worked in Schoonhoven, Utrecht, Blaricum, Den Dolder and in Amsterdam, where he was a member of the artists' association 'Arti et Amicitiae'. His work is in the possession of the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, among others.