Notes

This view of Veere from 1645, seen from the perspective of the lake of Veere, originates from Van Goyen’s best period, when he started to add a little more colour (blue and brown) to his predominantly monochrome (silver and grey) palette. The artist painted a monumental sky above a low horizon, creating a wide-open vista. By adding dark and light contrasts, for instance a light spot in the sea on the right side of the shaded rowing boat with fishermen, he brings atmosphere to the composition. The viewer can almost sense the wind picking up.

In the forties of the seventeenth century Van Goyen’s career got a positive impulse as he started to switch from landscapes and fairly subdued river views to mature and impressive seascapes and panoramic cityscapes like that of Dordrecht, Nijmegen, Rhenen and Arnhem. Van Goyen would have known Veere well, as the town lay only seventy kilometers south of The Hague, van Goyen’s home.