 |
Simon de Vlieger,
Estuary at Dawn, c. 1640/1645, National Gallery of Art, Washington,
Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift in memory of Kathrine Dulin Folger
1997.101.1 |
| |
 |
|
 |
|
|
Simon de Vlieger was among the most popular marine artists in seventeenth-century
Holland. He painted "parades" of ships in harbor, calm estuary scenes like
this one, and stormy shipwrecks. He is best known for his sensitivity to
the constantly changing weather along the coast and inland canals of Holland.
In Estuary at Dawn, painted between 1640 and 1645, he uses a subtle
range of grays and blues to capture light
filtering through drifting clouds and boats moving in deep
and shallow waters. De Vlieger's dramatic use of atmospheric lighting
to create silvery skies and shimmering water, and his tight pictorial design
distinguished his work from his colleagues’.
 
|
|
