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The early hours of the morning, the last light of the day and even the darkness of the night were the moments that Dutchman van der Neer brought to canvas. At these times, the painter preferred to seek out rivers and capture the processes at the beginning of the day or with the incoming calm in the evening. Fishermen, horsemen and strolling people completed the scenes. In the later years of the artist winter landscapes were added to the repertoire. He also liked winter scenes, which took place on frozen rivers and scenes. A bond has apparently developed between this type of landscape and the artist. It is therefore not unusual that the paintings often have a poetic expression.
An art critic once commented on the special ability that the artists of the Netherlands have. It is the depiction of weather phenomena, of clouds and the irrepressible power that storms bring. Aert van der Neer has painted the depiction of cloud towers with great skill. Fine observations of the sky are reflected in the landscape paintings. When the cool moonlight bathes the landscape in a special colourfulness, the painter succeeds in conveying the nocturnal impression to the viewer. The spectacle of light is almost contradictory, bringing blazing flames into the dark night and showing their flickering play. But the painter also captures these nuances with a sure eye.
The biography of Aert van der Neer is incomplete. He was born into the young 17th century. A century that was well-disposed towards Dutch painters and helped many to gain prestige and wealth. The wealth flowed past van der Neer. During his creative period he also ran an economy. However, success did not come about here either. And although his light studies were fundamental for the Dutch landscape painters, he did not receive the prestige that had been appropriate to his skill. Aert mastered the facets of light. The muffled sunlight on an ice surface, as well as the reflection of the moon on a calm river.
The early hours of the morning, the last light of the day and even the darkness of the night were the moments that Dutchman van der Neer brought to canvas. At these times, the painter preferred to seek out rivers and capture the processes at the beginning of the day or with the incoming calm in the evening. Fishermen, horsemen and strolling people completed the scenes. In the later years of the artist winter landscapes were added to the repertoire. He also liked winter scenes, which took place on frozen rivers and scenes. A bond has apparently developed between this type of landscape and the artist. It is therefore not unusual that the paintings often have a poetic expression.
An art critic once commented on the special ability that the artists of the Netherlands have. It is the depiction of weather phenomena, of clouds and the irrepressible power that storms bring. Aert van der Neer has painted the depiction of cloud towers with great skill. Fine observations of the sky are reflected in the landscape paintings. When the cool moonlight bathes the landscape in a special colourfulness, the painter succeeds in conveying the nocturnal impression to the viewer. The spectacle of light is almost contradictory, bringing blazing flames into the dark night and showing their flickering play. But the painter also captures these nuances with a sure eye.
The biography of Aert van der Neer is incomplete. He was born into the young 17th century. A century that was well-disposed towards Dutch painters and helped many to gain prestige and wealth. The wealth flowed past van der Neer. During his creative period he also ran an economy. However, success did not come about here either. And although his light studies were fundamental for the Dutch landscape painters, he did not receive the prestige that had been appropriate to his skill. Aert mastered the facets of light. The muffled sunlight on an ice surface, as well as the reflection of the moon on a calm river.