Gallery
Aelbert Cuyp (1620-1691)
Avenue at Meerdervoort, early 1650s
This painting's main focus is an elegant avenue of trees along which people and animals amble slowly. The line of trees draws our eye into the painting before the path bends away to the left further into the distance. On either side are both a rural and an urban landscape. To the left is the castle of Meerdervoort, after which the painting is named, nestling within trees and hedges. To the right is the Dutch town of Dordrecht where the artist was born, lived and died.
As if to emphasise the difference between these two scenes, Cuyp has shown a black cow leaving the path into the countryside, while on the River Maas the ships indicate a bustle of activity. It is early evening and the low sun creates bands of shadow and light, which can be seen between the two lines of trees, and a soft colour and haziness bathes the town.
The painting was probably made for Cornelis van Beveren (1591-1663), whose two grandsons may be the boys seen in the distance. They lived with their father in the castle.
Aelbert Cuyp
Cuyp (pronounced 'cowp') is now regarded as one of the finest landscape painters of the 17th century. He rarely left his home town of Dordrecht or its immediate surroundings and just produced work for local patrons. As seen here, much of his work shows the town and boats on the local river, the Maas.
Activities, discussions and questions
» Cuyp rarely left his home, the Dutch town of Dordrecht. Look
carefully at the painting. How can you tell it is a Dutch rather than, for example, an English landscape?
» The avenue of trees which stretches away from us gives a great
sense of perspective. Each tree moves inwards and becomes shorter than
the last one, indicating that the trees are getting further away from us.
» Can you spot any common compositional techniques used across
all/most of the paintings?
» Do you think the whole of each scene is depicted as the artist
actually saw it or do you think there have been additions to the painting
to improve its overall appearance?
» Design/create an object that is both useful and attractive
to the eye, which incorporates decorative features on the inside as
well as the outside.
Which do you think is nearer - the town on the right or the castle
on the left?
Although the scale and perspective seem very well observed, do
you think Cuyp has got it quite right? Compare the size of the brown
cow with the horse, pony and person in red to its right. What would
happen if it stood up?
Which do you think is nearer - the town on the right or the castle
on the left?
Aelbert Cuyp (1620-1691)
Avenue at Meerdervoort, early 1650s
Material: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 69.8 cm x 99 cm
Place made: Dordrecht, Netherlands
Accession No: P51
Enlarge image
(opens in new window)