Frans Berntsenartist • painterNijmegen 1903-1980

All his life Frans Berntsen was devoted to the water. Born in Nijmegen, his love for this was undoubtedly awakened by the flowing Waal. You picture a little boy, wandering along the quays and in the harbours, playing in the floodplains, connected to the river that determined his youth. Later he had his own ship: the 'St. Lucas', he sailed with for several months in the summer from 1930 onwards. His paintings reflect his passion for water and everything related to it. There are (port) scenes of Antwerp, Amsterdam, Dordrecht and Vlissingen. He recorded the cities around the Zuiderzee (Urk, Yerseke, Enkhuizen) and along the IJssel (including Zutphen), as well as the Zeeland waters and the Wadden.