River Valley by Hercules Seghers

Hercules Seghers · 1628-01-01

River Valley by Hercules Seghers (c. 1626-1630) is in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is one of very few oil paintings by an artist who was primarily a printmaker. Seghers has been called the most experimental landscapist of the Dutch Golden Age.

Look at how the distant mountains dissolve into haze. That is atmospheric perspective, a technique Seghers mastered. The tiny figures on the path suggest harmony between people and the natural world. And almost invisible in the rock, he hid his signature.

Seghers was born around 1589 and died around 1638. Celebrated in his time as an innovative printmaker, his painted landscapes are exceptionally rare. The Rijksmuseum acquired this work in May 1931.

A printmaker who painted mountains that dissolve into air. What does that tell us about how an artist sees?

Details

But in oil, he made mountains that dissolve into haze.

Its rugged texture and dark shadow convey a sense of age and natural power.

Transcript

Hercules Seghers was a printmaker, not a painter. But in oil, he made mountains that dissolve into haze. A single dark tree anchors the whole valley. These figures suggest harmony between people and nature. He hid his name here. Almost part of the rock.