Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde
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Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde (1638, Haarlem - 1698, Amsterdam) was a Dutch artist of the 17th century, active in Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague and best known for his cityscapes.
Christened as an infant in June 1638, he was the younger brother and student of Job Adriaenszoon Berckheyde, as well as studying under Frans Hals. During the 1650s the two brothers made an extended trip along the Rhine to Germany, stopping off at Cologne, Bonn, Mannheim and finally Heidelberg. The brothers are said to have worked in Heidelberg for Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, but were ultimately unable to adapt to court life and so returned to Haarlem, where they shared a house and studio and where Gerrit became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke on 27 July 1660.
His influences include Pieter Saenredam's style, refined draughtsmanship and dispassionate attitude - in short, the qualities of "Dutch Classicism", akin to Vermeer. Berckheyde favoured views of monuments on large open squares, rather than giving up clarity for the sake of pictorial effect by painting views along canals as the other great Dutch cityscape painter, Jan van der Heyden, did.
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