Paul Gabriël was the eldest son of the sculptor Paul Joseph Gabriël. He first studied at the Amsterdam academy and then at the drawing academy of the landscape artist Barend Koekkoek in the German town of Cleve. From 1853 to 1856, he lived in the village of Oosterbeek, near Arnhem. Together with artist friends such as Anton Mauve and Gerard Bilders, he concentrated on nature studies. Gabriël arrived via Amsterdam in Brussels,
here he received support and advice from Willem Roelofs and gave lessons to Willem Bastiaan Tholen. A number of years later, Gabriël moved to Scheveningen and there he frequently painted in the open air. Gabriël is one of the few masters of the Hague School who showed signs of the new industrial age, such as factories and trains, in his paintings. His use of vivid colours is also exceptional within the Hague School.
Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël
Amsterdam 1828 - Scheveningen 1903