As the son of the famous The Hague School painter Willem Roelofs (1822–1897), Albert Roelofs came in contact with art at an early age. He received his first drawing lessons from his father, and creativity was highly valued in the Roelofs household. Until the age of ten, Albert grew up in Schaerbeek near Brussels. In 1887, the family moved to The Hague, where Albert would go on to attend the art academy at the age of sixteen. During his four years of studying there, he met the woman of his life, Tjieke Bleckmann (1877–1976). She herself was born into an artistic family: her father was Willem Bleckmann (1853–1942), a painter of Indonesian landscapes and villages scenes. After his time at t...