The Friesland-born artist Gerard van der Laan mainly painted and watercoloured beach and seascapes. He found inspiration earlier on the beach of Scheveningen near The Hague, where he lived and worked from 1880. Van der Laan moved to the royal city from Leeuwarden, where he had spent three years. Although he made a name for himself as a marine painter, Van der Laan also painted a few (winter) landscapes.
