Courtyard of the Orphanage in Amsterdam

Oil on canvas

45 x 72 cm

Inscribed with dedication on bottom left: "à Mr. Backer / souvenir affectueux / de M. Liebermann"

In 1876, one year after his first visit to Holland, Max Liebermann set up his studio in the municipal orphanage of Amsterdam. He was fascinated by the clear, vibrant colours and uniforms of the orphaned girls. He incorporated them into several of his paintings. This is one of several studies made in preparation for the famous "Free Period" in Frankfurt's Städel Museum. The German painter's style became increasingly close to that of the French Impressionists' plein-air painting from the 1870s onwards. Although his painting describes the young girls' activities – in the style of the realist painter he continued to be – he is captivated by the light and colour conditions that he tries to capture.

Max Liebermann was born in Berlin in 1847 and died there in 1935.