nicolaes van gelder (1636 - 1676)
Harmen Loeding was a Dutch painter, member of the Guild of St Luke's in Leiden. He specialised in still lifes with exotic and exquisite fruit and flowers.
Not much information is known about Luding, but he was a pupil of the famous artist Gerard Dou and worked in Leiden. He specialised in small genre paintings depicting the everyday life of Dutch people. His works often represent the interiors of offices, showing various objects and tools.
Harmen Luding is also known for his use of vivid colours and light and shade in his works, which created the effect of being present in a real scene. Some of his best known works include Doctors with a Pipe and A Kiss in the Dark.
He was also a member of the Guild of Artists of Leiden, where he worked until his death in 1673. His works are now in the collections of many museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.
