Sold Painting by Hendrik Cornelis Kranenburg

Hendrik Kranenburg (Amsterdam 1917 - Bergen op Zoom 1997) lived and worked in Amsterdam, but from 1943 he settled in Laren. He was taught at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam (1938-1942) under J.H. Jurres and W.H. van de Berg. Kranenburg has become best known for his oil paintings, especially of impressionist-style cityscapes. He often applied the paint thickly on the canvas with rough strokes. He was a passionate artist who had a large production. In 1964 Kranenburg left for Bergen op Zoom and died on January 31, 1997.

The Hotel Hamdorff is central to the painting shown here. Jan Hamdorff opened the luxury hotel Hamdorff in Laren at the Brink number 16 in 1901. Jan did everything he could to attract artists by organizing exhibitions for artists. Artists from the Gooi used to meet regularly in this old pub 'Het Kroegje'.

Painters paid with paintings, which gave Hamdorff a large collection and a great reputation. In 1913 Hamdorff opens a special art hall. Both the Laren-Blaricum Association for Visual Arts, and later the De Gooische Schilders Vereeniging, which was split off, had meetings and exhibitions here. The local parties and carnival are also often organized there, with artists coming up with themes for bal-mascés and making the posters, including Willy Sluiter.