Haven van Scheveningen 1874 - 1919

Jan Willem Nortier made this etching, "Haven van Scheveningen," sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a fishing boat in the harbor of Scheveningen, a Dutch coastal town. The mood is melancholic, with a hazy atmosphere obscuring the details of the town in the background. Nortier was part of a generation of artists who sought to capture the everyday life of the Netherlands. His work focused on the lives of ordinary people. The image is an intimate view of labor. It is both romantic and realist. We can see the influence of the Hague School, a group of Dutch artists who embraced impressionism and plein-air painting. To fully understand this piece, we might look at the social history of fishing communities in the Netherlands. We can also look at the art market and institutions that supported artists like Nortier. Art is always shaped by its social and institutional context.