A lobster, an earthenware jug, a lemon and oysters on a table

Johannes Hendrik Eversen, a descendant of Adrianus Eversen, has become most famous for his still lives. Although he began his career as a portrait painter, largely in the medium of watercolour, it was during his stay in London at the Heatherley School of Art in the 1930s that he started to explore the subject most admired by masters such as Willem Claesz and Clara Peters, beginning to include oysters, flutes and fruits in his compositions. Under the influence of the realist painter Karel van Veen, Eversen changed his style and started to pursue perfection through the technique of the Dutch 17th century painters, becoming chiefly concerned about the effect of bright light on his objects. His paintings reflect a timeless serenity and are carefully balanced in colour, shape and texture.