Art van der Ner Dutch painter Country: Netherlands

Biography of Art Van der Ner

Art Van der Ner, a Dutch painter, was born in 1603 or 1604 (exact date unknown). He grew up in his hometown in South Holland. During that time, the prominent artists in Gorinchem were the brothers Joachim and Rafael Govertsz Camphuysen. The latter became Van der Ner's teacher and... relative - the artist married his teacher's sister.

Van der Ner soon started a large family and, unable to support them through his craft, became the owner of a tavern. It was in this capacity that he was mentioned in documents from 1659 and 1662. On December 12, 1662, the tavern went bankrupt and Van der Ner's belongings were described. The paintings he had created were valued very low.

The earliest dated work by Van der Ner is a genre scene from 1632, and his first known landscape painting dates back to 1633. The artist's favorite genres were winter landscapes and nocturnes. He focused primarily on creating winter and night landscapes. Many of his paintings depict night fires.

He excelled in depicting the full moon, whether through the lightness of gentle clouds or its reflection in the water of night rivers and desolate bays. Van der Ner passed away on November 9, 1677, in Amsterdam. His eldest son, Eglon, also became a painter.

Around 150 of his paintings are preserved in museums and galleries around the world, with one of the finest collections housed in the Hermitage. Art Van der Ner's true calling was landscapes illuminated by moonlight. The artist brought familiar views of Dutch nature to life with a new, bold, and striking motif.