Gillis Smak Gregoorartist • painterDordrecht 1770-1843

The Dordrecht painter Gillis Smak Gregoor was born in 1770. With the permission of his parents, he decided to become an artist at the age of 22. In the last decades of the 18th century it was common for the younger generation of painters to be apprenticed to the older artists, who often still painted in a 17th century style. In addition, 17th-century art collections were present in Dordrecht that served as teaching materials. 17th century influences are therefore visible in Smak Gregoor's paintings. Because of his landscapes with cattle, he is also seen as the successor of Paulus Potter. Nevertheless, he developed his own, recognizable style through the use of a clear colour palette. Contemporaries greatly appreciated his work; In the autumn of 1815, King Willem I bought two paintings by Smak Gregoor.