Artwork
De brug over de IJssel bij Doesburg
De brug over de IJssel bij Doesburg is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Willem Roelofs. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition incorporates specific natural and man-made elements, notably depicting trees and a boat within the scene.
Willem Roelofs' 1889 oil painting presents a cityscape centered on a bridge spanning the IJssel river near Doesburg. The composition incorporates specific natural and man-made elements, notably depicting trees and a boat within the scene. As a work classified within the cityscape genre, the painting focuses on the visual representation of this specific Dutch location and its infrastructure rather than conveying overt symbolic narratives or allegorical meanings in the available records.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 24.5 cm by 45.5 cm. Willem Roelofs rendered the scene with loose brushwork that emphasizes atmospheric effects and the fleeting movement of water, characteristic of his cityscape genre. The depiction of a boat and a tree anchors the composition while the overall handling conveys a naturalistic yet impressionistic approach to light and space.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1889 by Willem Roelofs, as indicated by the artist’s date on the canvas and corroborated by its inclusion in the Rijksmuseum’s holdings under that year.
It entered the Rijksmuseum collection directly, where it has remained since acquisition; the museum’s records list the painting among its cityscape holdings and assign it dimensions of 24.5 cm in height and 45.5 cm in width.
Willem Roelofs's 1889 oil painting De brug over de IJssel bij Doesburg is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 24.5 cm in height by 45.5 cm in width. While the painting is confirmed to be part of the Rijksmuseum's holdings, the provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number for the piece. Additionally, no exhibition history or specific display locations within the museum are documented in the available records.
Overview
Willem Roelofs painted De brug over de IJssel bij Doesburg in 1895 with oil on canvas. The work presents a tranquil riverside scene where a wooden pier extends into the water, a solitary rower navigates a small boat, and a mature tree shelters a modest hut on the bank. The sky is filled with soft, billowing clouds, creating a calm atmosphere that typifies Roelofs’s interest in light and air.
Artist & collection
Artist
Willem Roelofs (10 March 1822 – 12 May 1897) was a Dutch painter, water-colourist, etcher, lithographer and draughtsman.
