Jaap van Veen - Watercolor, Portrait of a woman

Jaap van Veen, born in Rotterdam in 1915 and died in Amsterdam in 2009, was a Dutch musician, painter, and draftsman. He trained at the conservatory, specializing in violin, but acquired his knowledge of painting and drawing through self-study (autodidact). Jaap van Veen made many trips with artist friends to Spain, Italy, and France. Jaap van Veen painted cityscapes, still lifes, portraits, and landscapes in an Impressionist style using oil and watercolor, but was also a gifted draftsman. Jaap van Veen would head out whenever the weather was fine to paint outdoors, but because the weather in the Netherlands often left much to be desired, he preferred to paint in the South of France, where the climate was more pleasant.