Landscape with Trees

Art Historical Context

Aelbert Cuyp's *Landscape with Trees*, created sometime between 1635 and 1691, captures the serene beauty of the Dutch countryside in a intimate scale—measuring just 7⅜ × 12⅛ inches. This delicate drawing, executed in watercolor over black chalk, showcases Cuyp's mastery of mixed media. The black chalk likely provided a subtle underdrawing for contours and shading, while translucent watercolor layers added luminosity and depth, evoking the golden light for which the artist is renowned. As a leading figure of the Dutch Golden Age, Cuyp specialized in atmospheric landscapes that celebrated the flat, fertile polders of his native Dordrecht region. Though small, this work exemplifies his early experimentation with plein-air sketching techniques, blending meticulous observation with a poetic sense of space. Such drawings served as studies for larger oil paintings, highlighting the preparatory role of works on paper in 17th-century Dutch art. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1907, *Landscape with Trees* resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints. It invites visitors to appreciate the humility of Cuyp's process—transforming simple trees and horizons into timeless evocations of nature's quiet grandeur.

About the Artist

Aelbert Cuyp · 1620–1691

Aelbert Cuyp (1620–1691), a leading figure of the Dutch Golden Age, was born and died in Dordrecht, Netherlands, where he spent his entire life. The son of portraitist and animal painter Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp (1594–1652), Aelbert came from a family of artists—his uncle Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp and grandfather Gerrit Gerritsz Cuyp were stained-glass designers—and studied under his father, with whom he ...