Artwork
Cityscape in winter
Cityscape in winter is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Dirk Jan van der Laan. It dates from 1801 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a cityscape, the composition focuses on the architectural and atmospheric elements of the town rather than individual figures or specific narrative events.
The work depicts a winter cityscape, a genre classification that defines its primary visual subject. Created by Dirk Jan van der Laan in 1801, the painting presents a view of an urban environment during the colder months. As a cityscape, the composition focuses on the architectural and atmospheric elements of the town rather than individual figures or specific narrative events.
The sources identify the genre and the seasonal setting but do not provide further details regarding specific iconographic symbols, allegorical meanings, or deeper representational significance beyond the literal depiction of the winter scene.
Technique & Style
Created in 1801, this cityscape is executed in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures 26.5 cm in height and 34.5 cm in width. As a painting within the cityscape genre, it depicts an urban environment during the winter season.
The piece was originally part of the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop before entering the holdings of the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum.
History & Provenance
Dirk Jan van der Laan executed the oil painting Cityscape in winter on a panel support in 1801. The work subsequently entered the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop, who is recorded as its owner. Through this association, the painting became part of the holdings attributed to the Amsterdam Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Context
The winter cityscape by Dirk Jan van der Laan entered a notable collection through Adriaan van der Hoop, whose holdings included works by early Dutch Romantic painters. Contemporary scholarship situates the painting within the emergence of urban winter scenes in early nineteenth-century Dutch art, reflecting both Romantic fascination with atmospheric effects and the growing civic pride in Dutch cityscapes. Its presence in the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum underscores its recognized significance within the Dutch Romantic tradition.
The work's technique of rendering snow-covered streets and frozen canals aligns with broader trends in Dutch landscape painting of the period, while its provenance highlights the patronage networks that supported such genre works.
Overview
Cityscape in winter is an oil painting by Dirk Jan van der Laan, dated to 1801, and is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.
Artist & collection
