Apol's talent was discovered early in his life and his father ordered private lessons for him.
He mostly painted snowy forest landscapes with subtle man-made artefacts, such as a bridge or fence.
In 1880 Apol took part in an expedition on the SS Willem Barents to Spitsbergen in the Arctic Ocean.
His work is widely spread and found in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag have work of Louis Apol in their collection.