Hermanus Koekkoek is considered one of the most important marine painters of the 19th century. This applies not only nationally, but also internationally. His knowledge of ships and rigging is immense. In addition, his work reveals excellent pictorial qualities, resulting in beautiful atmospheric skies and waves with an exceptional representation of textures. Masts and ropes, as well as the curves of the ships and sails, are painted with an incredibly sure hand by Hermanus, who was left-handed. Even in the depiction of the figures on board and around the ships, he shows himself to be one of the best of his time. Hermanus Koekkoek was certainly not disadvantaged by his origins, being a member of the greatest Dutch painter dynasty of all time.
Hermanus is the youngest of the four sons of Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek, a famous marine painter and patriarch of the famous Koekkoek family. Like his father and his older brother Johannes, who died prematurely, Hermanus specialized in maritime subjects, while his two older brothers, Barend Cornelis and Marinus Adrianus, were known as renowned landscape painters. Hermanus Koekkoek learned the art of painting from his father, but surpassed him in level. Not only did he create dynamic maritime views, but also subtle and serene river landscapes. The Dutch coast, and in particular the Zuiderzee, was usually the subject of his paintings. In addition to his hometown of Middelburg, he also lived and worked in Durgerdam (today part of Amsterdam-Noord), Nieuwer-Amstel (today Amstelveen), Amsterdam, and briefly in Haarlem.
From 1832, when Hermanus was only seventeen, he exhibited regularly at exhibitions in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. In 1840 he became a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam and in 1841 of the Genootschap in Rotterdam. At an exhibition in 1875 at the famous artists' society Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam he won a gold medal. The following year he exhibited a painting with great success at the famous Royal Academy in London. Incidentally, in the 19th century his fame in England exceeded that of the Netherlands. He also sold many paintings there, largely thanks to his eldest son Hermanus Jr., who moved to London in 1869 and opened an art gallery there.
Correspondence with the painter David Bles reveals that at that time Hermanus Koekkoek charged around ƒ 3,000,- for a painting, a very respectable amount at the time. Hermanus Koekkoek's contribution to the continuity of the Koekkoek dynasty in painting was immense. First of all by his four sons, Hermanus Junior, Willem, Johannes Hermanus Barend and Barend Hendrik, who were all trained by their father. In addition, four of his grandsons also worked as painters. The fact that Hermanus Koekkoek was recognized not only in the Netherlands, but also far beyond, is demonstrated by the list of national and international museums that house his works.
