Sipke Houtman artwork • painting • for sale The Oude Schans, corner St. Antoniebreestraat, with the Montelbaanstoren, Amsterdam

The Frisian Sipke Houtman by birth had pledged his heart to Amsterdam. As a teacher and pastry chef, he painted mostly city views of Amsterdam, and sometimes a still life or portrait in a naive style. The well-known art dealer Carel van Lier saw his qualities as a painter and supported the ailing painter (he lived in the poorhouse) by providing him with canvas, paint and brushes. He also regularly bought work from him and exhibited Houtman's work in his art dealership, among others in 1932, 1935 and 1950. The faithful artist himself was modest about his talent. He once said, 'I can't do anything myself. My brush goes to prayer and then God makes me use the brush.' And his Amsterdam scenes, he wrote, 'were intended to give a Dutchman who has patriotic love a sweet memory of his ransomed land in distant lands (... ).