Jacobus van Looy (Haarlem, 1855 - Haarlem, 1930) was a Dutch painter, draftsman and author. He has attended the Rijksakademie of visual arts in Amsterdam under the direction of August Allebé. In 1884, the artist won the Prix de Rome, but had to share the prize with Jan Dunselman because the jury was unable to nominate one winner. The prize enabled Van Looy to make a study trip to Italy, Spain and Tangier (Morocco). He has also traveled to London, Paris and Berlin, among others. He stayed the longest in the Netherlands in Amsterdam and Haarlem.
His work mainly consisted of landscapes, still lifes and animal scenes. His works can be seen in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem and the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands, among others.
Later in life he painted flower still lifes and fruits that he collected from his own garden.
Van Looy painted The Garden in the summer of 1893. The light touch and the abrupt cuts make the painting in line with French Impressionism. Van Looy painted the canvas just outside “en plein air”. The woman in the background is the wife of Van Looy, Titia van Gelder.
