Jan Zoetelief Tromp | En plein air painter

Dutch painter Jan Zoetelief Tromp (1872-1947) was born in Jakarta, where his father worked as an official in the former Dutch East Indies Colony. He was a painter of landscapes and Genre scenes, working largely in oil and watercolor. At an early age he showed great aptitude for drawing and consequently began his artistic training in 1887 with a summer course at the Academy of Fine Art in The Hague. Tromp subsequently continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, receiving much attention from August Allebé, the director of the Academy.

Having married the daughter of Hague School artist Bernardus Blommers, it was unsurprising that Tromp became known for working in this style. Although the Hague School had initially been characterised by their sombre palette, the influence of French Impressionism had led to a lighter and richer tone, as shown by artists such as Jacob Maris and Jozef Israels. Tromp followed their lead, and enjoyed immediate success. In a nation scarred by repeated war, his optimistic rural scenes of childhood innocence were immensely popular. Tromp exhibited widely in The Hague, Arnheim, Amsterdam, Groningen and Rotterdam. His work was collected in The Netherlands, Great Britain and the United States and can be seen today in museums in Amsterdam and Dordrecht.