Aert van der Neer

AERT VAN DER NEER (Gorcum, 1603 - Amsterdam 1677)
"Winter landscape".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower left corner.
With label on the back.
Measurements: 27 x 45,5 cm; 39 x 57 x 3,5 cm (frame).

This winter landscape is inscribed with remarkable clarity in the most characteristic corpus of the Dutch master Aert van der Neer, famous for his nocturnal, crepuscular scenes and winter landscapes, in which he conjugates a deep atmospheric sense with an intimate glance on the daily life in the Netherlands of the XVII century. In this work, Van der Neer deploys a horizontal panoramic composition that is articulated in depth by means of a snowy, winding path that guides the eye from the foreground (dominated by a fortification reminiscent of a castle with turrets and pyramidal roofs) towards a horizon in which gentle valleys, houses of traditional architecture and bare trees are insinuated. This use of the winding road is characteristic of his way of structuring the space, giving the landscape a slow and narrative visual rhythm. The ice, a recurring element in his work, becomes here the scene of communal life: tiny figures skate, stroll, drag barrels on sleds or walk with pastons, captured with a restrained gesturality, especially in the legs, which balance on the skates. Van der Neer hints at movement with observational precision. The palette, limited to earth tones, whites and blacks, gives rise to a cold and subdued atmosphere, tinged by a diffuse light, without dramatic hallmarks, which accentuates the overall serenity of the scene. The white of the snow blends smoothly with the browns of the terrain and the architecture, achieving an effect of tonal unity that is part of his preference for harmonious monochrome.

This type of work is part of what could be considered the stylistic core of Van der Neer, who, although he did not achieve in his lifetime the recognition of contemporaries such as Jacob van Ruisdael or Aelbert Cuyp, did develop a language of his own, centered on the poetics of ice, fog and twilight. This landscape, in particular, represents not only a seasonal scene, but also a visual chronicle of life under the northern climate, where winter becomes a space of encounter, play and survival.

Aert van der Neer was a landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age. As a landscape painter, he specialized in two main subjects: moonlit night scenes, of which he is the most recognized master among Dutch painters; and winter landscapes with skaters, a field in which he is a leading exponent. Aertvan der Neer is first known in Gorcum, in the south of Holland, where he worked, according to his biographer Arnold Houbraken, as administrator of the Lords of Arkel near Dordrecht. In 1630 he moved to Amsterdam, where he would devote himself to painting, and where his son, the portrait and figure painter Eglon Hendrick van der Neer, was born. Neer began his career as a painter at the age of 20, after meeting the brothers Raphael and Jochem Goyertsz. His first works are understood within the genre painting approaching the style of Pieter Quast. Although, Van der Neer hardly managed to live from his art or be valued in his time, now stands out among Dutch painters, thanks to his scenes of moonshine and winter landscapes. His painting was clearly influenced by the painters of the Frankenthal school such as Alexander Keirincx, Gillisz de Hondecoeter and Roeland-Savery. This tendency is perceptible thanks to the placement of isolated figures, frozen rivers and the habit of closing the sides of his compositions with trees, bringing us back to the works of Pieter Brueghel the Elder.