Bernard Pothast

BERNARD JEAN CORNEILLE POTHAST Hall, Brummen, Gelderland 1882 – 1966 Laren, North Holland Bernard Jean Corneille Pothast is most admired for his interior scenes celebrating the humble life of the Netherlandish peasant. He is particularly noted for his ability in capturing the particular intimacy between mothers and children. His technique is rooted in the rich tonal palette and bravura loose brushwork which has characterised masters of the Flemish School since Peter Paul Rubens. Pothast received his formal artistic training at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam between 1904 to 1907. His teacher was the Director of the Rijksakademie, Auguste Allebé (1838-1927), who is best remembered for his genre paintings, which are mostly in a small intimate format. Pothast furthered his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Gabriel Ferrier (1847-1914) who painted a pair of ceilings entitled Fleurs and Parfums for the Hôtel de Ville of Paris in the 1890s. The work of Bernard Pothast is represented in the public collections of Glasgow Museums, Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum and North Carolina Museum of Art, amongst others.