Bonaventura Peeters the Elder genre marine art
Bonaventura Peeters (I) or Bonaventura Peeters the Elder (23 July 1614 – 25 July 1652) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and etcher. He became one of the leading marine artists in the Low Countries in the first half of the 17th century with his depictions of marine battles, storms at sea, shipwrecks and views of ships in rivers and harbours.His earlier works show a similarity to the tonal phase of Dutch landscape painting.  Later paintings reflect the stronger colours of Italianate classicism. This shift follows the general change in artistic style at the time. Dramatic shipwrecks with dark billowy clouds form a significant part of his oeuvre, as do serene ports and "portraits" of ships.Many of Peeters' paintings depict actual locations along the North Sea and the river Scheldt and these subjects form the bulk of his artistic production.  He may have even travelled along the coast of Scandinavia as is shown by his views of the port of Archangel in Northern Russia one of which offers a scene of reindeers or elks pulling sledges.  His other views of Scandinavian ports and scenes support the view that he may have travelled there. Bonaventura Peeters the Elder repeatedly returned to the portrayal of seaports with shipping in the foreground.  Peeters the Elder developed something of a speciality in the portrayal of seaports with shipping in the foreground.  His first such view dates to 1634, the year in which he became a master in the Antwerp guild.  It depicts The 'Hercules' and 'Eenhorn' off the port of Hoorn (1634, National Maritime Museum, London). Peeters' oeuvre includes a number of smaller examples of this type, including three views of Willemstad, taken from different angles, and a view of Brouwershaven, in Rotterdam.His many views of far-away Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ports reflect a growing taste for the exotic and are probably completely imaginary or derived from prints, including those by his younger brother Jan who had travelled in Southern Europe. This tradition developed simultaneously in Flemish Baroque painting and in Dutch Golden Age painting, with many artists, including Peeters, working in both Antwerp and in the Dutch Republic. For his views of Brazil Bonaventura may have relied on descriptions or depictions by his brother Gillis, who had travelled to South America.
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