River Landscape with Anglers in the Moonlight

The action of light and its reflection is a recurring theme in Dutch painting. Artists who could depict the differing surfaces of pewter, silver and glass in still lifes were prized. Here, the artist chooses a different set of challenges, with night fishermen setting out on a moonlit lake. Its surface reflects the hazy clouds and moon, silhouetting the men in their boat while the house’s windows glow at right.

The son of a historian of Dutch art, Christiaan Immerzeel trained in Rotterdam and the Hague. He took part in the uprising that led to the creation of Belgium in 1831. After a period in Haarlem, during which he made trips to England and Germany, Immerzeel settled in the town of Wageningen. An etcher and lithographer as well as a painter, he was well known for his light effects.