Johannes Franciscus Spohler artwork • painting • previously for sale Canal with quay and drawbridge

Johannes Franciscus Spohler was an outsider in his painting family. His father, Jan Jacob Spohler, died when he was only thirteen years old, so - unlike his brother Jan Jacob Coenraad, who was 16 years older - he probably did not have any lessons from him. Perhaps this absence of paternal painterly influence was also the reason that John Franciscus chose a different genre than his father and brother. He was the only one to specialize in the Dutch cityscape, while his father and brother painted winter landscapes and summer river views. His great example was the work of the Amsterdammer Cornelis Springer: sunny streets with Old Dutch houses, populated with figures of all kinds, busy with all kinds of activities. Partly due to Springer's popularity, a good market had developed in the 19th century for cityscapes with Dutch historic buildings, both in the Netherlands and abroad.