Den Haag | Bezuidenhout – 2026-08-24

Not an Striking Path?

This pastel drawing ‘Den Haag | Bezuidenhout – 2026-08-24’ carries strokes of swirling intensity reminiscent of Van Gogh’s restless style. The reason was a walk back from my garage for my car’s annual MOT inspection. It was a sunny day and there is this incredible path at the outer edge of the Bezuidenhout quarter. Situated next to the canal adjacent to the Carel Reinierszkade, it borders the British School of The Netherlands. Not a particularly striking path, just one mostly trodden by dog owners. Sometimes those are the best because beauty can be found anywhere. You don’t have to go to famous nature reserves with high hopes. Often, it’s just around the corner. In this particular case the foliage and grass covered up houses and cars at the left. Almost as if Bezuidenhout knows its own intimate pockets of green where you can truly feel outdoors.

Berckheyde Revisited

However, I came back early and the sun was still very low and it shone through the trees. Because of its slanted angle, it created blocks of light and darkness. Gerrit Berckheyde’s painting of the Herengracht in Amsterdam came to mind. Again, for it was not the first time. Back in 2022 I made a drawing of Clingendael in which I used this very striking tonal rhythm. The only thing left was to find a style fit for capturing these blocks.

The Luminous Palette

Obviously, the blocked style in my last drawing of De Ravenberg was not a suitable candidate. The scenery was one of lush and wavy grasses. I immediately though of Van Gogh’s style of depicting such grasses, especially in Auvers-sur-Oise paintings. The idea was to use quarter‑circle curves to suggest foliage and grasses with a hint of cubism. Of course the blocks of light, giving structure and the aforesaid rhythm. To beef up colour contrasts I used lots of blue violets and even some pinks. This way I achieved the luminous palette, with yellow and purple as integral components.

Technical Details

Pastel pencil drawing on Ami Sketching paper (‘KBB’) – 21 x 29.7 cm

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com

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