Johannes Evert Hendrik Akkeringaartist • painter • watercolourist • draughtsmanBlinjoe (Nederlands-Indië) 1861-1942 Amersfoort

Animated 'tea gardens' with elegantly dressed guests in white wicker chairs among the trees were painted by the impressionist Johannes Evert Hendrik Akkeringa. His restrained colors and refined brushstroke match the subject: we almost feel the warmth and, above the buzz, hear the refined clink of glasses and cups. Akkeringa was a real Hague painter, but not that staunch. In search of unspoiled nature, he moved often and every time looked for his motives near his new home. This began in the 1980s when he explored the nature of the Dekkersduin with his artist friends. Incidentally, he was not the first. Decades before him, Weissenbruch, the brothers Maris and Anton Mauve had also sketched and painted there, which is why this area was sometimes called the Barbizon in The Hague. After his academy days, Akkeringa moved into a studio in Loosduinen in 1888. The dunes there were still 'virgin' according to Vincent van Gogh, who liked to work there in his period in The Hague. Akkeringa could paint outside to his heart's content. This resulted in sunny beach and dune views with children playing and - from the 90s - shows with boats and fishermen on the beach. Later (1893) he moved into a house on the Canal, near the Scheveningse Bosjes. There he found an open sandy plain where on nice days it was teeming with children playing with their mothers or nannies. And after he moved back to the city center around 1915, the entertainment on the outside of The Hague became a popular subject. On the Bezuidenhoutseweg opposite Huis ten Bosch, for example, was the Overbosch restaurant, where Akkeringa worked regularly. And on Leidse Straatweg, on the edge of the Haagse Bos, was Boschhek, where he often visited. Boschhek was often visited by the then Royal family and was therefore popular with the Hague beau monde.

Akkeringa was a real Hague painter, but not that staunch. In search of unspoiled nature, he moved often and every time looked for his motives near his new home. This began in the 1980s when he explored the nature of the Dekkersduin with his artist friends. He was not the first. Decades before him, Weissenbruch, the brothers Maris and Anton Mauve had also sketched and painted there, which is why this area was sometimes referred to as the Hague Barbizon. After his academy days, Akkeringa moved into a studio in Loosduinen in 1888. The dunes there were still 'virgin' according to Van Gogh, who liked to work there in his period in The Hague. Akkeringa could paint outside to his heart's content. This resulted in sunny beach and dune views with children playing and - from the 90s - shows with boats and fishermen on the beach. Later (1893) he moved into a House on the Canal, near the Scheveningse Bosjes. There he found an open sandy plain where on nice days it was teeming with children playing with their mothers or nannies. And after he moved back to the city center around 1915, the entertainment on the outside of The Hague became a popular subject.

Johannes Evert Akkeringa, painter of the carefree life, was born in 1861 in the Dutch East Indies of a Dutch father and Javanese mother. Shortly after the death of his father in 1863, he came to The Hague where he would live most of his life. Here he grew up with his brother and sister in the household of an aunt.

At the age of 17 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Fellow students there were Willem de Zwart, Floris Verster and Marius Bauer. With them, as well as contemporaries Willem Bastiaan Tholen and Isaac Israels, Akkeringa is counted among the second generation of Hague School painters.

Later, around 1893, he moved into a house on the Canal, in the Scheveningse Bosjes. There he painted children playing on an open sandy plain, who went out with their mothers or nannies on warm days. And after he moved back to the city center around 1915, the entertainment on the outside of The Hague became a popular subject. On the Bezuidenhoutseweg opposite Huis ten Bosch, for example, was the Overbosch restaurant, where Akkeringa worked regularly. And on Leidse Straatweg, on the edge of the Haagse Bos, was Boschhek, where he often visited. Boschhek was often visited by the then Royal family and was therefore popular with the Hague beau monde. Here Akkeringa painted the beautiful, carefree-looking 'tea gardens' with elegantly dressed guests in white wicker chairs among the trees. The restrained colors and a refined brushstroke tie in with the subject: we can almost feel the warmth and, above the buzz, hear the civilized clink of glasses and cups. Akkeringa also painted finely executed flower still lifes and portraits, mostly of children from his immediate environment.

Akkeringa's work, in a tempered Impressionist style, always testifies to an intimate and sometimes even tender character. It would never undergo major changes. There is, however, one contemporary, kindred spirit and good friend, Willem de Zwart, who influenced him. Jos de Gruyter, in his standard work on the Hague School, compares the nature of both artists. He talks about 'the rise and fall of the psychic barometer' by De Zwart - a more socially active artist - compared to Akkeringa who is 'the calmness, the modesty, the moderation itself'.

From 1903 to 1924 Akkeringa had a permanent contract with the Amsterdam Kunsthandel E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., which assured him of a monthly income. His work has not only been exhibited in the Amsterdam and London branch, but also at international exhibitions in Europe and overseas. Akkeringa was not only a well-known and beloved painter in his time, his paintings and watercolors are also highly appreciated and his work is highly sought after.