Ludolf Backhuysen (artist)
About
Ludolf Backhuysen became the undisputed leader of the Dutch sea-storm painting genre during the last quarter of the seventeenth century. Largely self-taught, he turned to painting only after earlier careers as a clerk and accountant, and a calligrapher and draftsman. In 1663 he joined Amsterdam’s Guild of Saint Luke, after which he produced a large and impressive array of paintings. His clients included the Archduke of Tuscany, Czar Peter the Great, and the Elector of Brandenburg.