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Cornelis Vroom, 'A Landscape with a River by a Wood', 1626

About the work

Overview

This mysterious landscape of a wood bounded by the sweeping curve of a river was, for its time, highly innovative. Instead of using trees to create a frame for an attractive view, which was the traditional approach, Cornelis Vroom has made the wood itself the focus.

Yet he has still managed to create a sense of depth. The low vegetation, the river bank and the glimpse of a sandy track catching the evening light form a deep foreground. Meanwhile the fields, bathed in sunshine, here become a distant view stretching behind the trees. Vroom has backlit the scene with a bright sky so we see the effects of light filtering through leaves, and the myriad shades of green and brown as the sun catches the treetops, breaks through the tiny gaps in the canopy or is lost altogether in the black depths of the wood.

Key facts

Details

Full title
A Landscape with a River by a Wood
Artist dates
1591/2 - 1661
Date made
1626
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
31.2 × 44.2 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated
Acquisition credit
Presented by Sir Robert Witt, through the Art Fund, 1919
Inventory number
NG3475
Location
Room 16
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
19th-century English Frame

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.

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