Landscape with Bridge

Born in London, worked in Haarlem (1616–1661) and Rome (1618).
Possibly a pupil of Esaias van de Velde (1587–1630). Teacher of: Jan Wils (1603–1666), Anthony Molijn (1635–1683/1703), Allaert van Everdingen (1621– 1675), Jan Coelenbier (1610–1680), Gerard Terborch (I) (1582/1583–1662) and Gerard Terborch (II) (1617– 1681).
Painted di erent kinds of landscape, including marines, river landscapes, beach scenes, winter landscapes, Italianate, as well as portraits, architecture, interiors, peasant genre and kitchen pieces.
Similar subjects are found in works by other artists, e. g. Rembrandt van Rijn’s (1606–1669) etching Six’s Bridge (1648) and Adriaen van Ostade’s (1610–1685) etching Fishers (ca 1653). “Landscape with Bridge” was painted from a drawing in nature. (The location is in Heemstede, not far from Haarlem, a place the artist has drawn and painted on several occasions.) We can observe how a tonal drawing has been transformed into a tonal painting. A wooden bridge has been depicted on the background of a low and even horizon. There is a fisherman on the bridge. The river crosses the landscape diagonally. The landscape is enhanced by the manifold silhouettes of plants and trees. The juxtaposition of the growing and dead trees has an allegorical meaning. Like many Dutch landscapes, the skies here are cloudy too. The painting’s overall colouring is formed by brown, greenish and grey tones supplemented by the subdued red of the fisherman’s clothing.