Artwork
Summer
Summer is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Goyen. It dates from 1625 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1625, *Summer* is an oil painting by Jan van Goyen, a leading Dutch landscape artist of the 17th century. The work shows a quiet summer setting dominated by a solitary, leafy tree, with a modest village scene and distant structures such as a windmill and church steeple. It is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a large, green‑crowned tree under which a small group of figures converse, one holding a pole. The surrounding sky is pale blue with delicate clouds, and the background hints at a tranquil rural community, suggesting a harmonious relationship between people and nature during the summer months.
Technique & Style
Van Goyen employs a restrained palette of soft greens, blues, and earth tones, applying gentle lighting to convey calm. His brushwork balances detail in the foreground figures with broader, atmospheric treatment of the sky and distant architecture, characteristic of Dutch Golden Age landscape painting.
History & Provenance
*Summer* belongs to the prolific output of van Goyen, who produced roughly twelve hundred works across a range of landscape subjects. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, where it remains on display as an example of early‑17th‑century Dutch art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Josephszoon van Goyen (Dutch pronunciation: ; 13 January 1596 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch landscape painter.
