Cottage by a River
c. 1627-1629
Jan van Goyen was basically the 17th-century equivalent of a travel vlogger, but with chalk instead of a camera. In this quick, atmospheric sketch, he captures a quiet Dutch scene featuring a crumbling thatched cottage and a lone tree reflecting in the water. Artists like Van Goyen would carry sketchbooks like this around the countryside, frantically scribbling down fleeting moments of light and atmosphere to use as 'recipes' for their larger, more polished studio paintings later. It’s a beautiful glimpse into the raw, unfiltered process of a Dutch Golden Age master.
- Technique
- chalk drawing
- Material
- paper
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