He was born in
The Hague and began his artistic studies at the
Royal Academy of Art with
Salomon Verveer, who taught in the Romantic tradition. His early works were mostly landscapes in the style of the
Hague School. His first solo exhibition was in 1861 in
Rotterdam. In 1865, attracted by new trends in art, he went to Paris and enrolled at the
Académie des Beaux-Arts, where he studied with
Jean-Léon Gérôme and switched to a more Academic style. He established a studio in Paris and became a client of
Goupil & Cie, but frequently returned to The Hague with friends and would stay at a seaside hotel in
Scheveningen. It was during these stays that he began his transition to Impressionism; inspired by the effects of sunlight on the water and the fleeting changes of light and shadow on the sand. His work in this style proved to be successful, both in France and the Netherlands and he was awarded a silver medal at the
Exposition Universelle (1889). After 1891, he worked as an illustrator for
Elsevier; contributing to their ''Neerland's Pen en Stift
series ("Dutch literature illustrated by Dutch artists"). His first drawings appeared in Eene Illuzie'', a collection of stories by
Louis Couperus. He apparently committed suicide at his studio in Paris. His works are in museums throughout France and the Netherlands, as well as in Munich and the
Clark Art Institute in
Williamstown, Massachusetts. == Selected paintings ==