A Woody Landscape

Artist: Meindert Hobbema (Dutch, 1638 - 1709)

Original Dimensions: 23 3/4" x 33 1/4"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1665) "Hobbema specialised in landscapes which present a positive, even idealised, evocation of carefree country life, where the trees are always heavy with summer leaf, the tracks are dry and there is only a gentle breeze in the air. This didn’t necessarily reflect day-to-day realities. Woodland of this kind was not a backdrop to an idyllic pastoral life, but an important economic resource, a place to graze animals and harvest timber. Yet the figures we see in this landscape are not hard at work trying to make a living – they are going about life in a very relaxed fashion. A fisherman sits quietly on the bank; a woman stands idly in the cottage doorway, while others stroll along the track. Though the overwhelming atmosphere is one of a peaceful summer’s day, there are subtle hints of nature’s destructive side. The tree stump in the foreground has obviously been fractured only recently, presumably by strong winds." - (National Gallery of Art, London)