Hercules
Segers

From the family of a merchant, in 1596 had moved to Amsterdam. Briefly studied landscape painting at the Gillis van Koningslo. After his father's death in 1612 returned to Haarlem, was admitted there to the Guild of artists. Then lived in Amsterdam, got married, bought a house. Worked in Utrecht and the Hague, among other things — sold artwork. Evidence of the death of the artist no, but in 1638 his wife is mentioned as widow. Place of death also allegedly.

He studied at the Amsterdam G. van koninksloo. From 1612 to 1629, lived in Amsterdam, where he was received into the Guild of painters. Visited Flanders (C. 1629-1630). From 1631, he lived and worked in Utrecht, and with 1633 — the Hague.

The work of finally, there is multifaceted: he played Marina, forest, mountain and plains, urban and rural types. The diversity and artistic style of finally, there, he wrote touches the long or short lines, points, his palette can be bright and transparent or thick and bright. While contemporaries wrote finally, there are intimate landscapes, portraying the unassuming Dutch landscapes, the painter had indulged in large panoramas, representing nature in all its complex manifestations. Finally, there was the drawn to the vast expanses and distant horizons, the elemental power and movement. His landscapes are dramatic, imbued with heroic pathos and at the same time excited and anxious.

The complete lack of Dating of the works of finally, there hinders the distribution of his works on stages of career. All of his paintings are part old masters, so it's unknown whether he wrote the artist in his younger years, or was doing only graphics.

Early etchings of finally, there is dedicated to forestry ("Forestry farm", "Forest road"). The forest in these works appears to be surprisingly alive and real; etchings marked by a profound emotional experience, they expressed the artist's ability not only to achieve external similarity, but also to grasp the profound inner content of the life of nature.

With the help of graphical tools, among which the main place is the finest dotted line, the artist masterfully conveys the various shades of leaves on trees and damp air of the forest (the etching "Landscape with two bell towers").

The artist does not satisfy the usual methods of etching technique, and he's looking for new tools to implement their creative ideas. Segers uses of color printing, colored paper or different colored leaves, prints on canvas, applies the soft ground and absolutely new technique of processing boards.

And finally, there is the problem of lighting. The effect of night lighting is created using the original techniques (etching, "Landscape with large tree", "Ruins with bushes"). This task night light artist decides and etching "Sea storm". Expressiveness in depicting the restless elements of the raging sea, which fought heroically people, is achieved through such means as green printing green tint black color of the night sky and coating the printed surface with varnish.

Etchings with views of the sea reflected the artist's interest in the transfer of the air environment. The broad expanse of the sea appear in the landscape "Big ships". A clear rhythm create sailing boats, tackle which intertwine in a complex pattern. This work, made in Harlem, reminiscent of the Grand Marina of Virigina and Broome.

Close to the sea Porcellis other work finally, there is the etching "Small ships". At the same time in the Marina put a unique personal style. Sea it appears as a huge space that has no boundaries. As boundless as the sky, merging with the sea surface. Moving across to the viewer a fleet of ships, it seems that she, too, has no beginning and no end. The impression of space is enhanced by the bluish-yellow paper on which is printed the etching. Light and moist, almost transparent mist envelops a lightly tinted brush the sails of the ships reflecting in the smooth surface of the water.

Transmission problems air environment and images of wide open spaces and vistas, the artist shifts from etching to painting ("Landscape with ruins", the Johnson collection, Philadelphia; "landscape with River mill", castle Herdringen, Westphalia; "Romantic landscape", a collection of Ten-Kate, Almelo; "River plain", private collection, Brussels; "Landscape near Laag Ten", a collection of Clifford Let, London). The scenery is peculiar compositional simplicity, at the same time, they felt the solemnity and epic grandeur, which is highlighted by the absence in these works of human figures. And if human figures appear in paintings, they are so small that the nature that surrounds them, seem limitless and daunting. With light, translucent shades of color, the slave of a single tone with subtle color transitions, the artist achieves in his landscapes of extraordinary expressiveness.

At the end of 1620 — early 1630s in the works of finally, there is the turning point associated with the death of his first wife and financial difficulties. Frustrated, the artist made a trip to Flanders. Impressions of the trip affected his paintings "View of Brussels" (collection of R. Kuhlmann, Berlin), "Landscape in the valley of the river Meuse" (a collection of van Beuningen, Vierhouten). In these compositions, as in one of his very best works, the painting "Mountain landscape" (Uffizi Gallery, Florence), life of the majestic and grandiose nature contrasted with the ordinary and simple of human life.

Deep tragedy, grief and loneliness emanates from recent work by finally, there ("Rocky landscape", national gallery, London; "Landscape with waterfall", collection of A. Brediusa, the Hague). The artist creates these paintings generalized image of nature, the main thing for him — not awareness of the landscape and inner emotions. Kind of picturesque and graphic works of finally, there, are unlike the landscapes of other Dutch masters had no success among his contemporaries. Only after the death of the artist his art received recognition at home. It is known that in the collection of Rembrandt, were eight canvases by finally, there, and the seascape painter J. van de Capelle was the winner of five of his landscapes. Paintings and drawings of the finally, there has been a significant influence on many Dutch artists of the second half of the seventeenth century, including Rembrandt, Ruisdael, Y., R. Rogman, F. koninck, A. de Gelder.