“A Mother and Her Children” an Oil Painting by Bernard Pothast

Provenance:
Sold Sothebys London Lot 190, 1989 for $24,000
Private Collection
Collection of Bradbury Art and Antiques Wiscasset, ME

Bernard Pothast was born on 30th November, 1882 in Hal, Belgium. He studied painting at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam between 1904 and 1907 and there he was particularly influenced by the artist A. Allebe, who was a professor at the school. Pothast was very much a follower of the Hague School, the Dutch equivalent of the French Impressionists. He specialised in painting interior scenes with children, often depicting toys and other objects which are of both historical and artistic interest. It has been suggested that his models were his wife and children and it is tempting to believe this when a likeness of models can be detected throughout his works. The artist’s use of light was very special; his figures are often bathed in a warm glowing light, emanating from a window, giving added intimacy to the scenes. Pothast died in Laren in February 1966. His paintings continue to be very popular and can be found in private collections throughout the world.