Farmers with ploughing horses, 1932

Jan Daniël ‘Daan’ Bout (1891-1965) lived and worked in Amsterdam and Hilversum. For two years, he attended the evening Art School in Amsterdam under the guidance of Klaas van Leeuwen and Jaap Weyand. Then, he continued to train on his own, he was basically self-taught.

He did go on inspirational study trips to the United States, Paris and London. He painted, watercoloured, made drawings (pastels and pen-and-ink) and etched portraits, landscapes (especially with horses), figures (nudes) and still lifes. Also he was an excellent graphic artist. Bout worked in the modern naturalistic-impressionistic style

His work reveals a great love for the sturdy farm horse. He painted these animals in a broad technique that did not focus on details, with a strong brush or palette knife. He also painted beautiful North Holland landscapes and several still lifes and portraits.

He spent most of his life in Amsterdam and was a member of the Vereeniging Sint Lucas and the Kunstenaarsvereniging De Onafhankelijken. He was also a member of the Federation of Professional Artists and he taught Hans Frisch and Alfred Würth.

Museums: Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar.