Artwork
Wide River Landscape
Wide River Landscape is an oil painting by Philips Koninck. It dates from 1648 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents an expansive river vista dominated by a gently flowing waterway and a small boat, set within a rolling countryside.
The painting presents an expansive river vista dominated by a gently flowing waterway and a small boat, set within a rolling countryside. It exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age interest in naturalistic river scenes, emphasizing the interplay of light on water and the modest human presence aboard the vessel. As a 1648 oil on canvas by Philips Koninck, the work is classified as a landscape and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its dimensions measure 41.3 × 58.1 cm. The composition reflects the era's tendency to portray rivers as both literal terrain and symbolic spaces of tranquility and movement.
Technique & Style
Wide River Landscape (1648) is an oil painting executed on canvas by Philips Koninck. The work measures approximately 41.3 cm in height by 58.1 cm in width, a format typical of Dutch seventeenth-century landscape painting. Koninck employed oil pigments on a stretched canvas support, building the scene through layered brushwork that emphasizes the tranquil flow of the river, the presence of a small boat, and an expansive sky rendered with subtle tonal gradations.
The composition balances detailed naturalistic observation with a compositional structure that guides the viewer's eye across the horizontal plane, reflecting the formal conventions of the Dutch Golden Age landscape genre.
History & Provenance
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Its accession number is 1975.1.77, recorded under Philips Koninck's Wide River Landscape (1648). It has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view as part of the permanent collection.
Overview
Philips Koninck's Wide River Landscape, an oil painting from 1648, captures an expansive view of a river scene. This work exemplifies the artist's characteristic approach to panoramic vistas, a style he developed during the Dutch Golden Age. It is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, showcasing Koninck's skill in rendering vast natural environments.
Context
Wide River Landscape stands as a representative example of Dutch Golden Age landscape painting. During this period, artists frequently depicted their native topography, often emphasizing vast skies and low horizons. Koninck's work contributes to this tradition by offering an expansive, almost aerial perspective that celebrates the natural beauty and atmospheric qualities of the Dutch countryside, a popular subject for collectors.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Philips Koninck (5 November 1619 – 4 October 1688), also spelled Philip de Koninck, was a Dutch landscape painter and younger brother of Jacob Koninck.
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