Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde

Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde (1638 - 1698) was active in Haarlem, Amsterdam and The Hague during the Golden Age, which is nowadays best known for its cityscapes. Gerrit was the eleven years younger brother and student of the painter Job Adriaenszoon Berckheyde.

Golden Age historian Arnold Houbraken, claimed that Job was trained by his father as a bookbinder and could not figure out who taught him to paint. Gerrit in turn learned the trade from his older brother. Job's teacher must have been a Haarlem master, and some say it was Frans Hals, but Houbraken claimed that he traveled as a companion between Leiden and Utrecht and offered his services as a portrait painter and learned by just doing it, working as a portrait painter.

In the 1650s, the two brothers made an extensive journey along the Rhine to Germany, with stops in Cologne, Bonn, Mannheim and finally Heidelberg.

The brothers worked in Heidelberg for Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine, where they both received a gold medal for their efforts, but were ultimately unable to adjust to court life and returned to Haarlem, where they shared a house and studio . Gerrit became a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke on July 27, 1660. He was followed by the painter Adriaen Oudendijck.

According to the RKD, he was a painter known for his Italian landscapes, portraits and cavalry pieces. His influences include the style of Pieter Saenredam , specifically for church interiors. Also he was influenced by refined drawing and a merciless attitude, actually all the qualities of "Dutch classicism" of those times, much alike Johannes Vermeer.

Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde preferred monuments in large open squares, he did not want to make concessions to the clarity in his paintings and use the (painting) effects on style by painting houses along the Amsterdam canals, in contrast as did the other great Dutch cityscape painter Jan van der Heyden.