BERCHEM Nicolaes

(Haarlem 1620 – Amsterdam 1683)

Painter, printmaker and Dutch draftsman known for scenes of landscapes with characters derived from mythology and the Bible. He first studied under the guidance of his father Pieter Claesz, famous painter of still life, and then looking at painters followers of Rembrandt as Jan van Goyen and Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert.

In 1642 he became a member of the Haarlem Guild and the same year he moved to Italy. Here he would remain for several years performing numerous drawings and studies of forms that would be used for all his further activity. His wide pictorial production was mainly directed to sea views, scenes of hunt, battles and of course ancient ruins inserted into pastoral landscapes of Rome surroundings. Together with Jan Both, he is remembered among the best known Dutch painters of landscapes attracted by ‘bucolic atmosphere’ typical of Roman countryside. According to Houbraken, biographer of the artists of the Dutch Golden Century, in 1645 he became a member of the Reformed Church and in the following year he married the painter Jan Wils’ daughter, Catrijne Claesdr De Groot, enjoying a small allowance. In order to finance his collection of prints, he borrowed money from his students and colleagues that he would have repaid with the proceeds of his paintings.

Around 1650 he moved to Westphalia together with Jacob van Ruisdael, and after a second Italian sojourn, between 1653 and 1656, he returned to Amsterdam where he worked on behalf of the publisher and art dealer Jan de Visscher. Together with Danckerts and Cornelis Visscher he has developed the subject of the depiction ‘animalist’ very popular in Dutch at that time.

During his artistic activity, lasted about forty years, he worked incessantly as evidenced by his production with 800 paintings, 300 drawings and over 60 etchings.