Bernardus van Schijndel was born near Amsterdam. He spent 25 years in Leewaarden, the capital of Friesland, before coming back South to Haarlem, a competitive town known for its excellent painters, especially of genre scenes. Van Schijndel has depicted here a fictitious view of Zandvoort, which is close to Haarlem. Our painting must therefore date from the last years of his life (1696 – 1709) when he was living in Haarlem.

 

 

Dutch painter

Weesp 1647 – 1709 Haarlem

 

His last name is sometimes spelt as Schendel.

 

Genre scene (and portrait) painter.

 

It is not known whom van Schijndel studied painting with, but he was clearly influenced by Richard Brakenburgh.

 

Although he was born near Amsterdam van Schijndel is documented in Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland I, in the upper N. part of the Dutch Republic, between 1671 and 1696.

From 1696 until his death in 1709 he worked in Haarlem (some 10 km W. of Amsterdam).

 

Richard Brakenburgh (Haarlem 1650 – 1702 Haarlem) made the same moves as van Schijndel: he settled in Leeuwaarden between 1670 and 1687 and then moved to Haarlem, where he stayed until his death. Arnold Houbraken, the Dutch painter’s biographer in his “De Groote Schouburgh” of 1718 mentioned erroneously that Brakenburgh was either a pupil of Hendrick Mommers (circa 1623 – 1693) or of our Bernardus van Schijndel. Brakenburgh was three years younger than van Schijndel.

In fact Brakenburgh thaught several other painters in Leeuwaarden: 

- his nephew Hendrick de Valk (1674 – in or after 1709) and another genre scene painter Gillis de Winter (circa 1650 – 1720);

- the marine painter Wigerus Vitringa (1657 – 1725) is also said to have studied with him.

 

 

Fishermen selling their catch on the beach were a popular subject in 17th century Dutch painting.

Van Schijndel has painted a fictitious view of Zandvoort in the background. It took an hour to walk from Haarlem to Zandvoort. The village can easily be recognized by its church and its fire beacon; that was a tower with a sort of small house with a circulation on its top. The other buildings were imaginary inventions of the painter. 

 

 

Because it is a lively beach scene.