Background
His father was a stage painter who encouraged his son"s early interest in drawing.
His father was a stage painter who encouraged his son"s early interest in drawing.
From 1878 to 1885, he studied at the Royal Academy of Art, under the direction of January Philip Koelman, but thought his approach was too conservative and left without graduating.
His style was largely Impressionistic, although it also derived to some extent from the Hague School. In 1888, he made a study trip to Istanbul, financed by the art dealership, Van Wisselingh & Company, and decided to make Orientalism his principal subject. Later, he made numerous trips to Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, India, Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies, sketching and collecting items for Van Wisselingh.
He also worked as an illustrator for the short-lived literary journal, De Kroniek, attending the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II on its behalf.
Two years later, he was awarded the Willink van Collenprijs. This was followed by a successful showing at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
He would continue to exhibit regularly throughout Europe and North America. Six years later, he was upgraded to an Officer for his contributions to the Rembrandt Tri-centennial.
Two years later, he died of a stroke.
A street is named after him in the neighborhood of streets dedicated to 19th and 20th century Dutch painters in Overtoomse Veld, Amsterdam. In 1996, the "Bauer Documentatie Stichting" (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) was established.
Arti et Amicitiae]
He was a long-standing member of the Pulchri Studio and Arti et Amicitiae. In 1930, he became an honorary member of the Senefelder Club.