Fishermen hauling a Net
Artist: Jan van Goyen (Dutch, 1596 - 1656)
Original Dimensions: 14 5/8" x 13"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (1640-5) "This painting is a companion piece to A River Scene, with a Hut on an Island (also in the National Gallery’s collection), which is exactly the same size and depicts a similar horizon and arrangement of boats, but, as the title suggests, includes an island in the middle ground. The two are similar, but there are many subtle differences between them. The other painting depicts a scene at high water, whereas here it is clearly at or near low tide. The mudflats, still glistening wet, are exposed; the withies – slender stems of willow which have been put in place to mark the position of the mudbank when it is covered by the tide – are temporarily redundant. And while the light in the companion painting is clear and relatively bright, there is a flatter greyness to this scene. The short, sideways brush marks in the sky suggest drizzle is in the air." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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