Biography

Albert Neuhuys was born in Utrecht. He trained there as a lithographer and also took painting lessons with Gijsbertus Craeyvanger (1810-1895). Neuhuys specialised in portraits, genre and history paintings until around 1868 when he moved to Antwerp to study at the Academy. He was inspired by Jozef Israëls to paint peasant interiors with figures, but he painted with a brighter palette and chose more cheerful domestic scenes. He also greatly admired Jacob Maris’s work. Neuhuys bought a house in Laren and often sketched the families of the local farmers and weavers in their natural environment. These paintings were very popular. Because of the commercial value of his paintings, Neuhuys often copied them in watercolour. From the late 1880s onward Neuhuys travelled almost continuously.