Herman van der Weele - 1852-1930, shepherd with herd of sheep on the moor. Oil on canvas 58.7 x 86.9 cm. - Sold

Herman van der Weele
1852-1930 Shepherd with herd of sheep on the moor oil on canvas 58.7 x 86.9 cm, signed lower right
Herman van der Weele was born in Middelburg. At a young age he took painting and drawing lessons, in addition to his job as an extraordinary supervisor at the sea and harbor works in Zeeland. In 1873 he moved to The Hague to get his MO certificate drawing. He joined the Pulchri Studio and became influenced by the painters of the Hague School, more particularly by Anton Mauve. Like Mauve, Van der Weele would often choose to paint herds of sheep. He also painted moorland landscapes, chopping wood, plowing oxen and other themes from rural life. Van der Weele, like his older friend François Pieter ter Meulen, is counted among the followers of the Hague School. In his younger years he was in close contact with Vincent van Gogh[1] and George Hendrik Breitner. He worked a lot on the Veluwe, in the vicinity of Nunspeet and Elspeet, in Laren, as well as in Drenthe and Limburg. Van der Weele was, among others, the teacher of Jan Toorop. He had great success selling his work in Canada and the United States. He passed away in 1930, aged 78. His work is now in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, among others.