Floris Arntzenius artwork • painting • for sale The Bierkade in The Hague

Floris Arntzenius spontaneous impressions of The Hague's streets, depicting the city's hustle and bustle, were in high demand. As the 'Hague Breitner,' he sought out 'bustling street scenes, preferably in rainy weather, the bustle of a market day or a working-class neighborhood.' He painted in subdued hues interspersed with color accents like cobalt blue, red, and green. This gigantic painting (126 x 201 cm) of the Bierkade is one such example. It's a somewhat gray day, with little activity. A fully laden barge is sailing from Het Spui toward the Wagenbrug. A ship with a smoking smokestack is about to depart. In the foreground, a young girl walks toward the painter. Everything you could want from Arntzenius, captured in one large canvas. 'Well, once I've found a good street or a good canal, I'll poke around and see if I can rent a window. Because you just can't sit on the canal itself with your mess: you'll attract so many looks. And behind a window, you sit quietly, what! There I can calmly survey everything: from the Bierkade, to 't Zieken with all the activity there.' Floris Arntzenius, Artistiek Weekblad, 1910.