River Landscape

Aelbert Cuyp (1620-1691) was influenced by the Dutch landscape painter Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) in his early works, developing a similar style around the use of straw yellow and light brown tones, which can be seen in this river landscape. He also made use of the broken brush technique, in which short brush strokes manipulate the paint to create texture.  

River Landscape formerly had additions top and bottom and a group of cows in the foreground centre left. The painting was recorded in this state in a series of prints made by Dulwich Picture Gallery’s first keeper, Ralph Cockburn (d. 1830). Technical analysis proved these to be post-17th-century additions and they were removed in 1998. These changes were probably the work of the painter Francis Bourgeois (1753-1811), whose bequest of artworks would become the foundation of Dulwich Picture Gallery.