Landscape with figures on a path in the foreground, and a castle on a river

Summary

This delicate little Flemish painting on copper, with its high viewpoint and use of colour to suggest recession, is an example of the sort of landscape that early 17th century Dutch artists used as a model. Brown is used to bring the foreground forward, while misty blues lend a sense of atmospheric perspective. The trees on either side frame the composition and lead the eye back into the picture space. The scene is enlivened with figures going about their daily business. A castle in the centre seems to hover over the water and a gossamer mist veils the little town in the background. Gysels began training in 1641, at the relatively late age of twenty, with the Antwerp painter Jan Boots, and became a master at the Guild of St Luke c.1650. He was greatly influenced by the style of Jan van Brueghel the Elder, whose landscapes are characterised by plentiful detail, hazy backgrounds and bright blues of the sort seen here.

Display Label

Landscape with Castle early 1600s Follower of Jan Brueghel the Elder 1568 - 1625 Oil on copper This delicate little Flemish painting on copper is an example of the sort of landscape taken by early 17th century Dutch artists as a model. (Flanders was the old name for Belgium.) The artist takes a high, birds-eye, viewpoint and shows recession through colour. He uses brown to bring the foreground forward and green for the middle ground. The blue in the background gives a feeling of atmospheric perspective. Trees on either side of the work frame the composition and lead the eye back into space. The composition is enlivened with little figures who play out a drama in a fairy-tale setting. Assheton - Bennett bequest 1979.452