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It is not immediately obvious from the sculpture itself, but the maker of this 'Monument to the Maris Brothers' had a great love of working people. Most of his other sculptures depict working farm labourers and toiling fishermen. This places Charles van Wijk among the so-called labour artists, of whom the Dutchman Herman Heijenbrock and the Flemish artists Constant Permeke and Constant Meunier are the best known. That heavy labour leaves traces in the body is clearly visible in their sculptures. The figures look lived-in.
The 'Monument to the Maris Brothers', however, is less expressive. It is rather classical in nature. Van Wijk wanted to pay homage here to two of the three famous Maris painters. They too had elevated workers and scenes from their daily lives to the subject of their art. At the top of the sculpture, Van Wijk placed two round, bronze portrait reliefs of Jacob (1837-1899) and Willem (1844-1910) Maris. Van Wijk was incidentally married to Anna Maris, Jacob Maris' daughter. Matthijs Maris is missing, as he was still alive in 1916 when the sculpture was made.
At the bottom of the monument, halfway up the few steps, is a half-naked woman. With her arm raised, she has written a text under the two portraits. It reads: 'Artists worthy of the land of Rembrandt'. And so this monument is a clear tribute to these two famous painters of The Hague School.