| Berchem,
Nicolaes (Claesz.) (b. 1620, Haarlem, d. 1683, Amsterdam) |
| Dutch
painter of pastoral landscapes in the Italianate manner, principally active
in Haarlem. He was the son of the still-life painter
Pieter Claesz. and
it is not known why he adopted a different surname. Claesz. was his first
teacher, but although Berchem tried his hand at most subjects, no still-lifes
by him are known. He visited Italy in the 1640s and perhaps again in the
1650s and became, with Jan Both, the most highly regarded exponent of the
Italianate landscape. Successful and well rewarded in his lifetime, he had numerous pupils and his influence on 18th century English and French landscape painters was very considerable, Gainsborough and Watteau being among the artists who particularly admired his work. |