Gezicht op Vlaardingen c. 1883 - 1914

Floris Arntzenius created this landscape sketch of Vlaardingen in the Netherlands, most likely in the late 19th or early 20th century. The sketch's significance emerges when we consider the rapid industrialization and urbanization that Holland was undergoing at this time, when The Hague School was prominent. Artists broke from Romanticism and Academicism to represent a more realistic image of the Dutch landscape and ordinary life. Arntzenius was known for his cityscapes and beach scenes, and his loose brushwork, combined with a somber tonal range, embodies the spirit of the Hague School. This sketch provides an intimate view into Arntzenius's artistic process, displaying the artist’s concerns with naturalistic representation, and the effects of light and atmosphere. By situating such sketches within their historical and cultural context, using archival sources, we can understand their role in the development of Dutch modernism.