Joris van der Haagen, 'A River Landscape', probably about 1650-60
About the work
Overview
A quiet river meanders through thinly wooded countryside towards a distant, misty horizon, almost shielded from view by a low hill. The clear water catches the cool evening light, and the gnarled trunks of the trees give a sense of age and permanence. But overhead, the leaves are turning brown as autumn brings inevitable change.
Dutch landscapes of the mid-seventeenth century were largely divided into two styles. One was favoured by artists who had been to Italy: their work is suffused in a soft, gold light and a feeling of warmth and serenity. The other – including van der Haagen’s work – was more concerned with the cooler, northern light of the Dutch Republic and its native flora and scenery.
To us, the sense of distance and calm is perhaps restful. In its time, A River Landscape would also have been a thoroughly modern picture, showing a freshness and immediacy that not long before would have been quite unusual in the practice of landscape painting.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A River Landscape
- Artist
- Joris van der Haagen
- Artist dates
- about 1615 - 1669
- Date made
- probably about 1650-60
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 109 × 129 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Mrs Jewer Henry Jewer, 1873
- Inventory number
- NG901
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.