"The Maas at Dordrecht,"
early 1650s. Oil on canvas from the collection of the National
Gallery.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The first-ever international loan exhibition
devoted to the masterpieces of Dutch artist Aelbert Cuyp
(1620-1691) is on view at the National Gallery of Art, West
Building, October 7, through January 13, 2002. "Aelbert Cuyp"
brings together a selection of approximately 45 paintings and an
equal number of drawings that survey the achievement of this
artist, who was particularly renowned for his majestic Dutch
landscape paintings.
The National Gallery is the exclusive North American venue for
the exhibition, which was organized by the National Gallery of
Art, Washington, in cooperation with the National Gallery,
London, and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. After Washington, the
exhibition travels to the National Gallery, London, February 13
through May 12, 2002, and to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, June 7
through September 1, 2002.
One of the foremost Dutch painters and draftsmen of the
Seventeenth Century, Cuyp was a prolific artist whose career
spanned the years between the late 1630s and the mid-1660s, the
golden age of the Dutch Republic. Although renowned for views of
his native countryside, Cuyp also painted portraits, biblical,
and mythological scenes. His unique combination of Italianate
atmospheric effects and his native Dutch landscape distinguishes
his art from that of his contemporaries.
Cuyp was born in October of 1620 in Dordrecht, where he spent his
entire artistic career. Dordrecht was a prosperous city with
great economic power, a strong maritime fleet, and the
distinction of being the oldest city in Holland.
Cuyp came from a family of artists: his father Jacob Gerritsz
Cuyp was a successful portrait painter and his grandfather Gerrit
Gerritsz Cuyp was Dordrecht's most important glass painter.
Aelbert received his earliest training as a painter from his
father, whom he assisted by supplying landscape backgrounds for
portrait commissions, such as "Portrait of a Family in a
Landscape" (1641), which will be on view in the first room of the
exhibition.
The exhibition provides an overview of Cuyp's career, from his
early sketches and monochromatic views of the Dutch landscape,
such as "A Pier in Dordrecht Harbor" (early 1640s) to his later
light-filled pastoral scenes of shepherds and cattle, travelers
winding past picturesque ruins, and majestic harbor views of his
native Dordrecht. Some highlights from the exhibition follow.
"A Farm with Cottages and Animals" (circa 1642-1643), with its
sun-drenched pasture populated by herds of cattle and sheep, is
one of Cuyp's early depictions of the Dutch countryside. The
harmonious relationship between man and nature illustrated in
this painting is a theme found throughout his works.
Painted about 1640, "Orpheus Charming the Animals" depicts the
story of the mythological hero who charmed animals with his
singing and playing. The subject offered Cuyp the chance to
illustrate this popular tale from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and to
portray a great variety of exotic animals, some of which he knew
only from prints.
In the early 1640s, Cuyp traveled widely in Holland and along the
Rhine River and from these excursions created beautiful drawings
of The Hague, Amersfoort, Arnhem, Rhenen, and Utrecht. Cuyp was
an exceptional draftsman, and many of his sketches were used to
establish the fundamental framework for his compositions. The
rolling countryside that Cuyp discovered along the Rhine provided
him with a visual vocabulary that transformed the character of
his art.
"Herdsmen with Cattle" (circa 1645) represents one of Cuyp's
earliest endeavors in combining rural landscapes with peasants
and herders tending their livestock. The scene is set in a
panoramic landscape with steep hills reminiscent of those he saw
along the Rhine. Dutch Italianate painter Jan Both, whom Cuyp
probably met in Utrecht in 1641, inspired the painting's
composition, colorful palette, and warm golden sunlight -
characteristics of the visual vocabulary Cuyp would use
throughout his career.
Cuyp's ability to convey the character of different times of the
day and varied weather situations is evident in "Dordrecht Harbor
by Moonlight" (circa 1643-1645), one of the artist's few
surviving moonlit scenes.
"River Landscape with Cows" (1648-1650) is one of Cuyp's most
characteristic pictures. Although he was not the first Dutch
artist to portray a herd of cows, Cuyp imbued his cattle with a
sense of idealized grace and nobility that is lacking in the work
of his predecessors. During the Seventeenth Century, dairy
farming assumed an important role in the Dutch economy and the
cow came to symbolize the prosperity and well-being of the
Netherlands.
Dordrecht was one of the most prominent subjects within Cuyp's
oeuvre, with depictions of the city and its surroundings
appearing in more than 25 paintings and ten drawings. The broad
and busy rivers passing near Dordrecht provided Cuyp with
numerous opportunities to portray life along the river's edge.
"The Maas at Dordrecht" (early 1650s) and "Dordrecht from the
North" (mid-1650s) demonstrate the artist's remarkable
sensitivity to the changing light and water conditions
encountered on these inland waterways.
"Michiel and Cornelis Pompe van Meerdervoort with Their Tutor"
(circa 1652-1953) is the first in a line of apparently popular
equestrian portraits painted for members of a social class that
would provide much of the artist's future patronage.
Although numerous representations of the hunt exist, Cuyp was the
only Dutch artist to create large-scale formal portraits of
patrons engaged in this activity. Examples in the exhibition
include this work and "Lady and Gentleman on Horseback" (begun
circa 1655, completed 1660/1665).
"Ice Scene before the Huis te Merwede near Dordrecht" (mid-1650s)
is one of the three known winter scenes Cuyp painted. His
sensitive rendering of the warm and atmospheric shimmering light
reflecting off the frozen ground makes this canvas one of his
greatest accomplishments. The artist based his depiction of the
ruins on several sketches he made of the structure on his travels
through the region.
"River Landscape with Horseman and Peasants" (circa 1660),
painted at the height of Cuyp's career, is one of the artist's
most accomplished pictures. The warm light of the late afternoon
sun saturates the entire scene, covering the distant landscape in
a golden haze that indicates moisture in the air.
This painting reflects the distinctive characteristics of Cuyp's
mature style: an increasing artificiality of light effects, the
introduction of twisted saplings and large decorative leaves in
the foreground, the use of a broad, panoramic viewpoint, and a
planar technique of applying paint.
The exhibition is organized by Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., curator
of northern baroque painting at the National Gallery of Art since
1984, and curator of such major National Gallery exhibitions as
"Johannes Vermeer" (1995-1996) and "Jan Steen: Painter and
Storyteller" (1996).
An illustrated catalogue is available.
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden, on the
National Mall between Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution
Avenue, NW, are open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. For information, 202-737-4215.
