NOOMS, Reiner - b. 0 , d. 0 - WGA

NOOMS, Reiner

(b. 0 , d. 0 )

Dutch painter, draughtsman and etcher. He was probably self-taught as an artist, since much of his early career was spent as a sailor on Dutch merchant vessels, travelling the major Dutch trade routes to Paris, Italy and the North African coast. His works frequently depict marine scenes and coastal views of the ports he visited. Throughout his career he proudly identified himself by the surname ‘Zeeman’ (Dutch: Seaman), by which title he regularly signed his works. He is now known principally as a painter of ships, whose work falls within the last two stylistic phases of 17th-century Dutch marine painting. Some of his paintings demonstrate the interest in light and atmosphere that typified the mid-century ‘tonal’ phase and can be seen in the work of Willem van de Velde the Elder. Other works, such as Nooms’s views of sea battles and Italian ports, have a romantic character that anticipates the more dramatic style of the late 17th century.

Amsterdam: Shipping on the Ij

The painting shows shipping on the Ij with a view of the toll houses on the roads of Amsterdam. The town had various toll-houses on the entrance from the river IJ to the city. The toll-houses as depicted here were probably located near the Prins Hendrikkade and the Oudezijds Waal (replaced in 1830 by the Oosterdok).

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Dutch Ships Awaiting Repair on the Ij at Amsterdam

Two Dutch merchantmen are being careened so their hulls can be caulked, while two Men O’ War are moored in the foreground, one with its sails drying. The artist painted the subject of ships being repaired and awaiting repair in the Amsterdam roads on several occasions.

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Merchant Vessel at Anchor

This marine painting by Reiner Nooms shows the ships of the Dutch merchant navy that are anchored in a bay.

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Shipping before a Mediterranean Coast

This painting represents shipping before a Mediterranean coast with a fortified town near a cliff. Throughout his career Nooms identified himself by the surname ‘Zeeman’, which in Dutch means ‘Seaman’. It was by this title that he regularly signed his works. In the present painting his signature ‘R. Zeeman’ can be seen lower right.

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Ships off the Coast of North Africa

The painter Reiner Nooms from Amsterdam specialised in maritime scenes. He signed his works with “Zeeman”, as he was actually a sailor and was thus able to apply his practical knowledge of boats and the sea to his art. Nooms painted harbour views of Venice, Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers and Syracuse, as well as such Dutch cities as Zaandaam and his native Amsterdam. These, like his ship scenes, are characterized by close observation of detail.

His compositions were widely disseminated in the form of engravings.

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The Prinsengracht and the Noorderkerk at Amsterdam

Reiner Nooms (surname: Zeeman) was a Dutch painter of ships.

This print is part of the small topographical views of Amsterdam published by Petrus Schenk. These prints, with their suggestive rendering of atmospheric conditions, have rather simple composition and execution.

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