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Aert van der Neer, 'A Village by a River in Moonlight', about 1645

About the work

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 everyday life. It was only in 1670, about 25 years after this picture was painted, that Amsterdam became the first city in Europe to install a system of street lighting, invented by the painter Jan van der Heyden.

Van der Neer, who lived in Amsterdam, specialised in capturing landscapes in moonlight and at dawn and dusk, and this is a typical example of his work. It probably doesn‘t depict a ’real' place, but one composed by the artist so that he could highlight the reflections of light on the mirror-still water, and the carefully arranged silhouettes of the church, the windmill and the boats lying off the quayside.

Key facts

Full title
A Village by a River in Moonlight
Artist
Aert van der Neer
Artist dates
1603/4 - 1677
Date made
about 1645
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
19.7 × 28.3 cm
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2536
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 Landscape with a Village
A River Landscape with a Village
Aert van der Neer
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...
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
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