Landscape with Row of Trees

Theophile de Bock began his professional life as a clerk for the Dutch Railway Company, but ultimately decided to devote himself to art. He trained in The Hague before traveling to Paris and Barbizon in 1880—the first of many encounters with mid-nineteenth century French art that would profoundly influence his approach to the representation of landscape. De Bock was instrumental in the founding of the Hague Art Circle, which was established to promote art of all kinds—the visual arts including craft and architecture, music and the musical arts, and writing. Especially after 1850, the Art Circle was a vibrant focus of activity for artists in various media, and exhibitions there included works by such notables as Jan Toorop and Van Gogh. De Bock’s visions of landscape were quite melancholy and gloomy, and rarely feature figures. The present work typifies his work in all respects.