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A Farm among Trees

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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There is something rather mysterious about this rare – and tiny – landscape by Jan van der Heyden, who specialised in painting urban scenes in a highly precise and realistic way. In this picture he has, instead, thrown a sort of veil over the buildings, a screen of trees which obscures our view.

The sense of mystery is enhanced by the lighting effects. Van der Heyden suggests a day of bright sunny spells. Grey clouds loom, but there is plenty of blue in the sky and the tops of the trees seem to be caught by sunshine. The air is warm, too: the cowherd on the river bank has rolled up his trousers and is happy to leave one leg dangling in the water.

Despite this warmth, there is deep shade in the foreground and gloom in the underwood, and the pool reflects back only the sombre shadows of the trees and buildings.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Farm among Trees

Date

about 1670

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 22.1 x W 28.8 cm

Accession number

NG993

Acquisition method

Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876

Work type

Painting

Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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