Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef

Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef , was a South African landscape artist, generally considered to be one of the best of the old South African masters. His distinctive style is widely recognised and his work was greatly influenced by the South African landscape.

Pierneef was born in Pretoria, from Dutch and Boer parentage. He started his high school career at the Staatsmodelschool there, where he took his first art classes, but it was interrupted by the Second Boer War. Due to the war, the Pierneef family decided to move back to the Netherlands in 1901. While there he studied at the Rotterdamse Kunstakademie. During this time, he also came into contact with the works of the old masters, which left a lasting impression on him.

Source: Wikipedia