Jan Josephsz. van Goyen - Ansicht von Rhenen - c. 1648

Van Goyen was one of the most productive and sought-after Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century. River landscapes formed a central focus of his oeuvre. He traveled to various Dutch provinces and cities, incorporating the motifs into his paintings. Through the use of a monochrome color scheme, dominated by muted gray, brown, and ochre tones, he masterfully captured atmospheric moods. This so-called tonal painting reached its peak in the 1640s. From the west, the view falls on the city of Rhenen, located on the Rhine near Utrecht, with its landmark, the towering tower of the late Gothic church of St. Cunera. In front of it, the palace for Frederick V, Elector Palatine, completed in 1631 and destroyed around 1812, can be seen. Several sailboats lie in the bay, and in the foreground a ferry boat with a carriage is approaching the shore where people are waiting to cross. The image is dominated by the low horizon and the cloudy sky.

 Source: Hamburger Kunsthalle