Town Scene

Petrus Gerardus Vertin (1819-1893) was a Dutch painter and graphic artist of the 19th century living in The Hague and focusing on Dutch townscapes and streets. His works are saved in several Dutch museums among others in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague as well as in the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. Vertin was a scholar of the well-known veduta* painter Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove and for his printed graphic works he chose lithography* and etching. As a painter of Dutch townscapes, he focused on streets, town squares, bridges and canals at different times of the year and presenting different weather situations. His favorite motif shows the following elements: aligning house facades with a street or a canal, a prominent building in the background such as a church, an atmospheric heaven including moving clouds and small men giving kind of narrative character to the paintings. Alternative versions of his name circulate: Pierre-Gérard Vertin und Pieter Gerard Vertin. (msc)