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Aert van der Neer, 'A River Landscape with a Village', probably about 1645

About the work

Many of Aert van der Neer’s atmospheric landscapes are set in the low light of evening or early morning, characterised by a silvery glow on water and the deep shade of the wooded banks. He also painted night scenes, lit by a moon often partly hidden by the clouds of a dramatic sky. It’s not clear what time of day is depicted here, but the washed-out colours and the dull sheen on the water and of the sky behind the clouds give an impression of early dawn, before the sun has broken through and started to cast shadows.

If so, the people of this village are up early. As well as the horseman, prominent in the foreground, there’s a figure on the bank over the river behind him and another in his boat towards the centre of the painting. Just across the water from him and very hard to make out is the white sail of another boat making straight for us.

Key facts

Full title
A River Landscape with a Village
Artist
Aert van der Neer
Artist dates
1603/4 - 1677
Date made
probably about 1645
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
28.4 × 43.2 cm
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2534
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

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.

More works by Aert van der Neer

(Showing 6 of 8 works)
A Frozen River by a Town at Evening
A Frozen River by a Town at Evening
Aert van der Neer
From the 1640s to the 1660s the Low Countries experienced a series of severe winters, and canals and rivers froze hard for weeks at a time. This wintry transformation of the towns and landscapes caught the imagination of many local artists, and Aert van der Neer was one of those who specialised i...
Not on display
A Frozen River near a Village, with Golfers and Skaters
A Frozen River near a Village, with Golfers and Skaters
Aert van der Neer
The game of golf was played in the Middle Ages, but it became particularly popular in seventeenth-century Holland. It was called kolf, and was played on the ice. European winters in the mid-seventeenth century were severe. Rivers and canals froze so solid that the life normally lived in a village...
Not on display
A Landscape with a River at Evening
A Landscape with a River at Evening
Aert van der Neer
Aert van der Neer was a specialist in painting landscapes with distinctive lighting effects – often under moonlight, or at the beginning or end of the day. The title given to this painting (probably in the eighteenth or nineteenth century) suggests that it’s set in the evening, though the cold bl...
Not on display
A River near a Town, by Moonlight
A River near a Town, by Moonlight
Aert van der Neer
Aert van der Neer was one of the most successful specialists in moonlit landscapes, and this is one of many he painted. The moon here has appeared only briefly, breaking through a tiny gap in a cloudy sky. The cool light creates a contrast between the deep darkness in the shadowy outlines of the...
Not on display
A View along a River near a Village at Evening
A View along a River near a Village at Evening
Aert van der Neer
This is one of Aert van der Neer’s largest paintings. A river takes centre stage, stretching into the middle distance beyond and reflecting back the slanting light of an evening sky and the darker shadows of the boats and trees.These effects and this mood are typical of van der Neer’s work, but u...
Not on display
A Village by a River in Moonlight
A Village by a River in Moonlight
Aert van der Neer
Nowadays, many of us have little experience of clear moonlight – it’s often washed out by street lights or car headlamps. But in the seventeenth century the many moods and lighting effects of the night sky and the different phases and heights of the moon would have been a familiar part of everyda...
Not on display
An Evening Landscape with a Horse and Cart by a Stream
An Evening Landscape with a Horse and Cart by a Stream
Aert van der Neer
Aert van der Neer was an expert at creating a sense of depth in his landscapes. Often, as here, he used the sinuous path of a river or inlet receding into the distance to emphasise the effect. In this picture he has gone a step further, using figures to reinforce that recession and to inject a se...
Not on display
An Evening View near a Village
An Evening View near a Village
Aert van der Neer
Although the vast majority of the picture is taken up by the landscape, our perception of it hinges on the two figures standing in the gateway. The angle created by the dead tree and stumps in the left foreground guides our gaze to them, as does the red dress of the milkmaid, which stands out str...
Not on display
You've viewed 6 of 8 works