Heerman Witmont

1605 – 1684

Dutch marine painter, trained in Amsterdam. He entered the Delft Guild in 1644. He designed cartoons for the Spiering tapestry workshop. One of Witmont's specialties were " pen paintings ": finely detailed pen drawings in black Indian or bister ink on a canvas or panel which was first prepared with a white ground. Other well known pen painters were the Haarlem painter Hendrick Goltzius, who invented the craft, and Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem van de Velde the Younger, both of whom specialized in seascapes. Willem van de Velde the Elder is thought to have started marine pen paintings around 1643. Willem van de Velde the Elder is mentioned in a 1653 document in which he gives his expert opinion on marine pen paintings by Witmont. The pen paintings of Dutch masters give the impression of being graphic works of art. However, Witmont has sometimes used a light wash for water and cloudy skies.

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