U.S. artist captures the colonial Dutch experience in fine detail

Hollanders on the Hudson at Hoorn

HOORN, the Netherlands - U.S. artist Len F. Tantillo is a storyteller and an historical and maritime painter in the tradition of 17th century Dutch masters. Unlike masters such as Willem van de Velde, Tantillo does not paint what he sees. He reinvents scenes in the common history of New York State, which no one alive today could have seen for themselves. Tantillo takes his viewers to moments long gone, and through his exquisite talent, restores lost worlds to be appreciated at the moment.

The paintings, sketches and drawings shown at the Westfries Museum are all about the Dutch footprint in the history of the City and State of New York, starting in 1609 with the arrival of explorer Henry Hudson who was commissioned by Dutch merchants. Tantillo depicts the forts (Nassau, Orange and Amsterdam), the settlements (Beverwijck, Schenactady and of course Manhattan), the farms with their typical Dutch barns and scenes of the daily live of an era long past.

Before anyone dismisses Tantillo’s work as superficial and lacking historicity, they are encouraged to examine the extraordinarily precise detail in his work. Seventeenth century Nieu Amsterdam is begging for a visit in Hoorn. The exhibit runs until November 29 and is shown at the Westfries Museum, Roode Steen 1, 1621 CV Hoorn, the Netherlands.