Meindert Hobbema
Born – Amsterdam, Netherlands 1638
Died – Amsterdam, Ntherlands 1709
Meindert Hobbema was both a friend and pupil of Jacob van Ruisdel. The two artists occasionally painted the same view, although Hobbema’s landscapes lack the heightened drama of his master’s. Hobbema achieved little recognition in his lifetime. He became an excise officer in 1668 and thereafter spent more time inspecting wine casks than paintings. Originally thought to date from the late 1660s, this example of his work is dated 1689, and features Middelharnis, a village in south Holland whose flat and ordered lowlands have changed little over the centuries. The foreshortening of the avenue of young poplar trees draws us into the picture. The image of a path or road suggest a journey and the passage of time is not new, but is used to especially powerful effect here. In Hobbema’s tranquil scene, a man strolls with his dog, another tends his plants, and two more stop for a chat. The brilliant contrast between the red roofs of the houses and the greyish-green foliage is one of the painting’s many notable features. What makes this a truly exceptional painting is that the details combine to increase the harmony of the overall composition.
Masterpieces:
- Stormy Landscape
- The Windmill with a Red Roof
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.