Linnig was a member of the Belgian school of marine painting. He focused on the quiet reality of the coastline rather than the theatrical storms favoured by other artists. His work often features the people who lived by the water. Fisherman with his Son Repairing a Net Under the Supervision of a Pipe-Smoking Old Sailor shows his interest in the transmission of maritime skills. He used a restrained colour palette to capture the hazy light of the Scheldt estuary.

Modern collectors value Linnig for his ability to document a disappearing world of sail and manual labour. His compositions are orderly and provide a sense of stillness. Prints of works like Gezicht op Tholen or Twee mannen in een sloep offer a window into 19th-century coastal life. The technical precision of his etchings makes them suitable for rooms that require a sense of history and calm.