DUTCH LANDSCAPES AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Landscapes were a major type of painting in 17th-century Netherlands. Either as part of a gift or purchased directly by the museum, the National Gallery of Art has several superb Dutch landscapes.

River Landscape with Ferry (1649) by Salomon van Ruysdael

The painting above was originally owned by Dutch art dealer Jacques Goudstikker who fled Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. He accidentally died on the ship on which he fled. His inventory of paintings was confiscated by the Nazis. After the war the painting was returned to the Netherlands; in 1960 it arrived at the Rijksmuseum where it remained until 2005 when it was restituted back to the Goudstikker Family. It was purchased by the museum in 2007.

A View on a High Road (1665) by Meindert Hobbema

A Wooded Landscape (1663) by Meindert Hobbema

A Farm in the Sunlight (1668) by Meindert Hobbema

Although Meindert Hobbema is viewed today as one of the premier Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century, he was basically unknown during his lifetime. Hobbema was taken on as an apprentice to the famous landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael. In his early works Hobbema followed his mentor, but eventually developed his own style. He specialized in elaborate woodland scenes.

Herdsmen Tending Cattle (1655-1660) by Aelbert Cuyp

River Landscape with Cows (1645-1650) by Aelbert Cuyp

Under the threat of the Third Reich, the Petschek family, in what is now the Czech Republic, left a copy of the above painting for the Nazis to steal. The original was painted over and the family eventually escaped to the U.S. with the painting. In 1986, the family gave the painting to the National Gallery as a thank you to the U.S. for helping the family and refugees in general.

A Pier Overlooking Dordrecht (1640s) by Aelbert Cuyp (a recent gift to the museum)

The Maas at Dordrecht (1650) by Aelbert Cuyp

The masterpiece above was once rejected in the 1930s as not worthy of hanging in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Today the National Gallery of Art considers the painting one of the highlights of their museum. A change of period taste. Aelbert Cuyp, a native of Dordrecht, was one of the foremost Dutch land­scape painters of the 17th century. His father was a successful por­trait painter in the city, and from him Aelbert received his earliest training. Cuyp had also apprenticed with a landscape painter, and he soon abandoned his father’s style and subject matter and turned almost exclusively to landscapes and river­scapes. 

I will conclude my tour of the Dutch paintings in my next post, this time showing some beautiful genre and still life paintings.

Note: I normally post a photograph of just the painting in a blog post without its frame; however, the frames of many of the paintings hanging in the museum are as beautiful as the paintings. Thus, I have posted two photos of each painting: one with the frame and one without.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.