Landscapes -
(windmill )
In the seventeenth century the Dutch landscape was one of the most popular subjects for
prints. Rembrandt took the genre to unrivalled heights. The locations of almost all
his landscapes can be identified in the immediate vicinity of Amsterdam. Rembrandt's
landscape etchings were created in the studio on the basis of drawings that he made on his
walks in the countryside around Amsterdam. On occasion he may even have worked
directly on to the copper plate on the spot. Six's Bridge and Clump of Trees with a
Vista are examples of this. The rapid, spontaneous lines give these prints the appearance
of having been
created in the open air. Rembrandt's early landscape prints are entirely etched. The
foreground of these etchings is always carefully worked out and placed against a
lightly indicated horizon.In his later
landscapes, Rembrandt combines etching with the lise of the drypoint and the burin. He
also adds imaginary elements like mountains and exotic buildings to the typical
Dutch landscape. The Three Trees is Rembrandt's best known landscape print. The
trees probably stood on the Diemerzeerdijk. The skyline of Amsterdam can be seen in the
background. This is the only landscape print in which Rembrandt used strong
contrasts between light and shade. The darker areas have been made more intense with
drypoint and burin. |
