Peter Gerardus Van Os (Dutch, 1776 to 1839)
Peter Gerardus Van Os was a member of an influential Dutch family of still life painters that included father Jan (1744 to 1808), brother Georgius (1782 to 1861), sister Maria (1780-1862) and son Pieter (1808 to 1892). His mother was the portrait painter Susanna de la Croix, daughter of French painter Pierre Federic de la Croix. Van Os received his early artistic training in his father’s studio, though he soon became more interested in the rustic landscapes of Paulus Potter (1625 to 1654), Nicolaes Berchem (1620 to 1683), and Jacob Ruisdael (1628 to 1682). Van Os meticulously studied and copied the works of these revered Dutch landscapists until he attained mastery of the various techniques employed; he became quite well known as an engraver of their works.
Van Os eventually opened a studio in Amsterdam where he taught drawing and painting. Many of his students, including Anton Mauve (1838 to 1888), Guillaume van der Brugghe (1811 to 1891), and Johannes de Haas (1832 to 1908), would carry the Dutch landscape tradition well into the 19th century Van Os took a break from painting in 1813 when he volunteered as a captain in the army, fighting at Naarden against the French. His sketches from this tumultuous time were later used as inspiration for a series of military paintings. By 1816, Van Os had once again returned to landscape painting.
Reference: Benezit. Dictionnaire des Peintres, Librairie Grund, 1976, vol.8, p. 43.
Information courtesy of Neal Auction Company, July 2008.