Jan Elias Kikkert

His grandfather, Pieter Kikkert (1775-1855), was a prominent drawing teacher in Leiden who published a popular book of sketches with essays.

[1] Jan showed an early aptitude for drawing and went to Leiden where he studied with his grandfather in the evenings while attending classes at a school operated by the "Mathesis Scientiarum Genitrix [nl] a math society.

[3] He would often wander the streets of Leiden, sketching and making notes which would accompany the final paintings.

An interesting feature of his work is that "modern" elements such as factory chimneys and railway lines are sometimes omitted because he was looking to express the "stemming in de natuur" (mood in nature).

[citation needed] He was a long-time member of "Ars Aemula Naturae", an art society founded in 1694, where he was known for his light-hearted and humorous behavior.