Jan Willem van Borselenartist • painter • watercolourist • draughtsmanGouda 1825-1892 Den Haag

Jan Willem van Borselen mainly painted landscapes, for which he gained inspiration in the watery areas of The Hague: Gouda, Zoetermeer and Stompwijk. The way in which he was able to depict reeds and wind-swayed trees and clouding dust was particularly admired. King William III and his (second) wife Queen Emma were lovers of the painter's work and gave him several commissions. They also invited him to Paleis Het Loo, their summer residence. Van Borselen also made sketch trips around Apeldoorn, where he got ideas for his paintings. The king regularly accompanied him on his walks. The painter later said that he had never worked outside in such a pleasant way.

'Anyone who looks at a painting by Jan Willem van Borselen and tries to break free from the atmosphere of everyday life gets a feeling of recognition. A memory of a walk through the polder, a rowing trip through the creeks, a sailing day on the lakes or a fishing day with friends. In his paintings a wind seems to be blowing, setting everything in motion, the water, the reeds, the clouds, the leaves of the trees. Everything seems to dissolve into colour – in green,' writes Tiny de Liefde-van Brakel. In her reflection she places the work in the time in which it was made, the nineteenth century. A period in which artists break away from the idealized romantic landscape and look for reality as a source of artistic innovation. A search that culminated in Dutch Impressionism at the end of the nineteenth century. Van Borselen was a bridge builder between the Romantic School and Dutch Impressionism. The influence of the great romantic master Andreas Schelfhout, from whom Van Borselen was taught, can be found in the work from his early period. After impressionism arrived, his brush became looser.

A recurring motif in his work is the Dutch pollard willow. He paints these pollarded or tall plants in vast landscapes in bright green and blue tones, where sun and shade alternate. Water features can often be found in his paintings; the furnishings usually consist of a few cows along the waterfront, a fisherman or a single walker in the middle of nature. And the wind is always present, visible in the tops of the trees, almost palpable for the viewer who imagines himself as a walker in the landscape.

In 1855 Van Borselen exchanged his birthplace Gouda for The Hague, where he apprenticed with Andreas Schelfhout and became a member of the Pulchri Studio Painting Society. He is a very active Pulchri member and regularly held board positions until his death. The method that Van Borselen developed – depicting nature as realistically as possible, without adornment – was soon widely appreciated, among the art trade and among private, major collectors including the nobility. He exhibits regularly at home and abroad (London, Paris, Vienna, Philadelphia) and is well paid for his paintings.