This painting is by David Adolpe Constant Artz, a 19th-century Dutch artist known for his depictions of daily life. The artwork captures a charming seaside scene with children playing by the water, launching toy sailboats, and enjoying the gentle waves. In the background, a few more figures are bent over, engaged in their own seaside tasks, while the calm ocean stretches out to meet the horizon, dotted with distant sailboats.

The composition reflects a peaceful, idyllic moment, with soft, natural lighting that gives the scene a serene and nostalgic quality.

 

David Adolph Constant Artz (The Hague, 1837 – The Hague, 1890) was a Dutch painter and collector who associated with some members of the Hague School.

From 1855 to 1864 Artz trained with J.H. Egenberger and Louis Royer at the Amsterdam Academie.[1] There he met Jozef Israëls, whose fishing subjects were to be a lasting source of inspiration for Artz. He worked with Israëls in Zandvoort in 1859.

From 1855 to 1864 he was a member of the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam.[1] Technically, he distinguished himself from Israëls in his use of sharp outlines and bright colour. Between 1866 and 1874 Artz stayed in Paris where he set up his own studio at the suggestion of Courbet. Constant Artz, the son Adolph Artz, was born in Paris, France in 1870.

In Paris he maintained close contacts with his colleagues Jacob Maris and Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer as well as the art dealer Goupil & Cie.

In 1874 he returned to The Hague where he was a member of the Hollandsche Teekenmaatschappij and in 1879 he was awarded the Order of the Oak Crown by William III of the Netherlands.