Hobbema, << HOB uh muh, >> Meindert (1638-1709), a Dutch landscape painter, is best known for landscapes in which farmhouses or water mills are seen through scattered groups of trees. He was an excellent observer of light, and loved to capture the effects of sunlight on distant houses or meadows. His most famous picture is the Avenue at Middelharnis, which is now in London. Many of his paintings are similar to those of his teacher, Jacob van Ruisdael. In 1668, Hobbema was appointed city wine inspector in Amsterdam, where he was born. He did little painting after this.