A Landscape with a River by a Wood

Artist: Cornelis Vroom (Dutch, c. 1591 - 1661)

Original Dimensions: 12 1/4" x 17 3/8"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (1626) "This mysterious landscape of a wood bounded by the sweeping curve of a river was, for its time, highly innovative. Instead of using trees to create a frame for an attractive view, which was the traditional approach, Cornelis Vroom has made the wood itself the focus. Yet he has still managed to create a sense of depth. The low vegetation, the river bank and the glimpse of a sandy track catching the evening light form a deep foreground. Meanwhile the fields, bathed in sunshine, here become a distant view stretching behind the trees. Vroom has backlit the scene with a bright sky so we see the effects of light filtering through leaves, and the myriad shades of green and brown as the sun catches the treetops, breaks through the tiny gaps in the canopy or is lost altogether in the black depths of the wood." - (National Gallery of Art, London)