Willem Klijn was born in Amsterdam in 1892, studied at the academy there and lived there for most of his life. He painted figures, landscapes, still lifes and tranquil cityscapes in an objective, simplified visual language, captured coolly and soberly in a smooth style. Like most Amsterdam realists, he was a member of The Onafhankeliljken (1922) and De Brug (1926) and participated annually in the exhibitions of these artists' associations.