Landscape with Travelers
1634
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Herman van Swanevelt
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a Dutch artist, born in Woerden.
See the richer artist page1634
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Landscape with Travelers is a 1634 unspecified by Herman van Swanevelt, a Barbizon school work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a quiet dirt road winding through rolling hills, with two travelers and a donkey walking away from us. Swanevelt painted this in Rome, but he filled it with Roman peasants instead of the usual gods or heroes. That small choice made his landscapes feel more real than his peers’. Most scholars now think he and Claude Lorrain influenced each other, not just one way. To see how he built light and shadow, look up chiaroscuro.
Swanevelt played an important role in the development of 17th-century landscape painting in Rome. Often regarded as a follower of Claude Lorrain (1600-1682), with whom he briefly shared a home, most scholars now believe that the influence was mutual. Swanevelt's landscapes are distinguished by the use of Roman peasants, rather than the classical figures preferred by his contemporaries.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a Dutch artist, born in Woerden.
See the richer artist page
