The Legacy of the Smedenstraat In the narrow streets of Deventer, where the scent of pigment and oil once lingered in the air, the Korteling name was woven into the very fabric of the city's creative life. Born in 1853, Bartus Korteling emerged from a lineage of craftsmen who understood the alchemy of color. His family had established a foundation in the Smedenstraat, where his forefather, Gerhard, spent his days preparing paints by hand and preserving the ancient methods of the trade. This upbringing meant that for Bartus, art was not a distant pursuit but a tangible, daily reality shaped by…