Willy Sluiter artwork • watercolour • drawing • for sale After the dip in the sea, Scheveningen

On summer days, Sluiter could be found on the beach and boulevard of the seaside resort of Scheveningen, where he made countless sketches of his own family or friends, strolling walkers and bathers. Here he saw two bathers after a dip in the sea. Apparently the older gentleman (father?) thought it was a cold shower, because unlike the young girl (daughter?) who cheerfully continues after the dive in her bathing suit, he makes a rather numb impression. When Sluiter moves to The Hague with his family in 1916, he establishes his name with the portraits he makes of the well-to-do bourgeoisie. In addition, the leisure activities of the beau monde in The Hague will also become an important subject. In the twenties of the 19th century people became aware that fresh sea air was beneficial for physical and mental health and beach life slowly developed in the Netherlands with everything that went with it: hotels, restaurants, a kurhaus, horse or donkey riding , bathe in the sea and build sandcastles.