River Scene with Cows
1653
Jan van Goyen captures a quintessential Dutch river landscape in this 1653 sketch, where cows lounge lazily on the bank while a fisherman tends to his boat nearby. The sweeping sky, filled with scratchy, energetic clouds, dominates the composition—a hallmark of his style that emphasizes the vastness of the Netherlands' flat terrain. In the distance, a windmill and church spire peek over the horizon, grounding this peaceful scene in everyday 17th-century life. Van Goyen was a master of quick, atmospheric drawings like this, often using them as studies for his larger oil paintings.
- Technique
- black chalk
- Material
- paper
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