Fredericus Jacobus van Rossum du Chattel (1856 - 1917)

Fredericus Jacobus van Rossum du Chattel, (Leiden, February 10, 1856 - Yokohama, March 10, 1917) was a Dutch painter, watercolorist and etcher. Second generation of the Hague School & impressionism.

Life and work: He mainly made landscapes and water views, and is counted among the second generation of the Hague School.

Fredericus van Rossum du Chattel was the son of genre painter Jan Hendrik van Rossum du Chattel (1820-1878). He attended drawing school in Leiden and then studied at the Hague Art Academy. Subsequently, he was apprenticed to Willem Maris for some time.

Initially he worked a lot in Vreeland, on the Vecht in Utrecht, which earned him the nickname "painter of the Vecht". From 1887 to 1908 he worked mostly around The Hague and Scheveningen. He mainly painted moody landscapes, mostly polder and water views. Windmills, farms and barns as well as city, village and winter views are recurring subjects in his repertoire. He often worked in oil, but he probably became more famous for his watercolors. He also made many etchings. Van Rossum du Chattel's working method was loose and sketchy, in the style of the Hague School, with influences from impressionism.

He managed to give a very personal interpretation to the landscape that unfolded before him, based on meticulous observation. From 1908 to 1911 and from 1914 to 1917, Van Rossum du Chattel made two trips to the former Dutch East Indies, where he painted the Indies landscape. He also visited the Philippines. On the return journey from his last trip, he died as a result of an accident during a stopover in Yokohama, Japan, where he was also buried. Van Rossum du Chattel left behind some 1500 works of art. During his lifetime he enjoyed wide recognition and also sold many works abroad, especially in the United States. He won a medal at the 1889 World Fair in Paris.

Partly because of the not very innovative character of his work, he fell somewhat into oblivion after his death. Several of his works are currently in the Gemeentemuseum The Hague. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam has a number of his etchings in its collection. In 1890, Van Rossum du Chattel was included in the Belgian Order of Leopold.