Twilight
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
25 7/8 x 17 7/8 in. (65.7 x 45.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
Accession Number
14.40.812
Tags
Art Historical Context
Anton Mauve, a leading figure in the Dutch Hague School of the late 19th century, renowned for his poetic depictions of the Dutch countryside often bathed in the soft, diffused light of dusk or dawn. *Twilight*, an oil on canvas measuring 25⅞ × 17⅞ inches, exemplifies his mastery of atmospheric landscapes. Though the exact date is unknown, the painting captures a serene pastoral scene featuring shepherds and their sheep, evoking the rhythms of rural life in the Netherlands during Mauve's era. Painted in oil on canvas—a medium ideal for layering subtle tones and textures—Mauve employs a realis...
About the Artist
Anton Mauve · 1838–1888
Anton Mauve (1838–1888), born Anthonij Rudolf Mauve in Zaandam, Netherlands, hailed from a family of North Holland clergymen. At age 16, he apprenticed under animal painter Pieter Frederik van Os in Haarlem, mastering depictions of livestock, before studying briefly with Wouterus Verschuur, whose equine subjects instilled a lifelong affinity for horses. He honed his plein air technique alongside P...