G.W. Opdenhoff

George Willem Opdenhoff (Witzel) (1807–1873) was a German-born Dutch marine painter associated with the Romantic school. Born in Fulda on 7 July 1807, he first studied landscape with Andreas Schelfhout and subsequently marine painting with Johannes Christianus Schotel, whose teaching was especially important to his command of ships, rigging and moving water. He lived in Breda from 1835 to 1837, in Rotterdam until 1842, and thereafter in The Hague, where he died on 23 September 1873. Opdenhoff devoted himself chiefly to sea, beach, harbour and river views. Fishing boats, sailing vessels and working figures frequently animate his compositions, while stormy waters, calm seas and sunsets provided recurring atmospheric subjects. His paintings combine precise nautical observation with the carefully balanced compositions characteristic of Schelfhout's circle. Diagonal arrangements of vessels and shoreline create depth, while strong contrasts of light and shade and deliberately orchestrated colour give the scenes their Romantic character. Contemporary commentary already noted the originality of his composition and colour effects.

His work is distinctive for the combination of Schelfhout's landscape discipline with Schotel's specialist knowledge of marine subjects. Although rooted in Dutch coastal imagery, Opdenhoff also depicted the French and Scottish coasts. He exhibited regularly in The Hague from 1835 onward and in Rotterdam in 1873.