His paintings are characterised by their delicate, careful composition and his mastery of lighting effects as well as the human figure.

Not wishing to follow in the family tradition of marine painting, he decided to move to Haarlem to continue his study in the workshop of Jan Wynants, a landscape painter.

In Haarlem he also met Philip Wouwerman and Paulus Potter, both animal painters who had an important influence on his work.

[1] From 1657 he worked in Amsterdam where he married on 5 April 1657 Maria Pieters Oudekerck (or Ouderkerk), a Catholic.

[2] Van de Velde's career blossomed and he became one of the foremost landscape artists in the Dutch Republic.

[2] Despite his short career, van de Velde created an extensive body of work of paintings, drawings and prints.

[5] His early work with its tight, precise technique and hard, cool sunlight shows the influence of Paulus Potter.

[6] His mature style reveals the influence of Dutch Italianate painters such as Karel Dujardin, Nicolaes Berchem and Jan Asselijn.