Portret van Gerardus Huibertus Veth, vader van de kunstenaar

Jan Veth was a Dutch portraitist and art critic whose portraits of prominent figures in Dutch cultural life around 1900 constitute an important visual record of that world. This 1900 portrait of his father, Gerardus Huibertus Veth, is a private commission of a different character from his public portraiture — a family image painted with the intimacy of personal knowledge. Jan Veth was also an important champion of the generation of Dutch artists that included Toorop, Mondrian, and Breitner, and his father's portrait carries the quiet distinction of a work made with genuine affection. The Dordrechts Museum holds the painting.

The portrait of the artist's father has an intimacy and directness that distinguishes it from formal commissions. Veth models the face with careful tonal gradation and psychological attentiveness. The palette is warm and subdued; the handling confident without being showy. Dark background throws the face into quiet relief.