Ludolf Backhuysen

Ludolf Backhuysen (or Bakhuisen) (1631-November 17, 1708), Dutch painter, was born at Emden, in Hanover.

Ships Running Aground in a Storm by Ludolf Backhuysen 1690s Oil on canvas, 173,5 x 341 cm Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
He was brought up as a merchant at Amsterdam, but early discovered so strong a genius for painting that he relinquished business and devoted himself to art. He studied first under Allart van Everdingen and then under Hendrik Dubbels, two eminent masters of the time, and soon became celebrated for his sea-pieces.

He was an ardent student of nature, and frequently exposed himself on the sea in an open boat in order to study the effects of tempests. His compositions, which are very numerous, are nearly all variations of one subject, and in a style peculiarly his own, marked by intense realism or faithful imitation of nature. In his later years Backhuysen employed his time in etching and calligraphy.