The painting ‘Church in Zandvoort’ by Cornelis Springer (1863) from the collection of the Amsterdam Museum can be seen at the Zandvoorts Museum from September 20, 2025, to September 6, 2026. The painting is part of the exhibition Art in Residence-Kunstlogies.
Cornelis Springer, master of 19th-century cityscapes, was known for his precise yet atmospheric depiction of architecture. In this painting, he shows the village church with its late Gothic tower embedded in the daily life of Zandvoort.
The Rijksmuseum has sketchbooks by Cornelis Springer in its collection. He also made sketches in Zandvoort. The 44-page sketchbook contains 3 sketches from Zandvoort. These were preparatory sketches for the painting. The sketches show the church and two views of the street. They were likely made in 1863. Springer created his paintings in his studio. Although the oil paint tube was invented in 1840 by the American painter John Goffe Rand, it was later used primarily by the Impressionists. Before that time, painters made sketches and watercolor studies. Based on these sketches, they created the oil painting in the studio.