February
1617
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1617
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
February is a 1617 ink by Jan van de Velde, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a cold, windy harbor scene in February. A big ship with tattered sails sits near the shore, while smaller boats bob in the choppy water. Bare trees line the foreground, and a lone figure walks along the dock. In the background, a town with towers and spires hugs the water’s edge. The artist used fine lines to show texture—notice how the waves and tree branches look almost three-dimensional. The Latin words at the bottom hint at the season’s harshness. Check out the technique: etching to see how artists like this carved images into metal plates.
Jan van de Velde the younger (1593 – c. 1 November 1641) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker, mostly of animal, landscape and still-life subjects. He was the son of Jan van de Velde the Elder and the father of…
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