Artwork
Standing Bull
Standing Bull is an ink print by the Baroque artist Adriaen van de Velde. It dates from 1658 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Standing Bull is an etching created by Adriaen van de Velde around 1658. This print showcases a solitary bull, rendered with meticulous detail through the artist's skilled use of simple lines to convey texture and form.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a standing bull, is characteristic of van de Velde's focus on animals within naturalistic yet subtly idealized settings, reflecting his association with the Dutch Italianate movement.
Technique & Style
Executed in etching, the work demonstrates van de Velde's mastery of this medium, using precise lines to achieve a detailed depiction of the bull's fur and muscles, blending naturalism with compositional delicacy.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1658 by Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672), a Dutch painter and printmaker active in Amsterdam, the etching's provenance details are not specified in available information.
Context
Standing Bull sits within van de Velde's broader oeuvre of landscapes and genre scenes that often merged Dutch rural themes with elements of the Arcadian or mythological, typical of the Dutch Italianate style.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen van de Velde, was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and print artist. His favorite subjects were landscapes with animals and genre scenes. He also painted beaches, dunes, forests, winter scenes, portraits in…
