麻豆APP

Flag of the Netherlands rounded corners Photo sourced from

Top 10 Little Known Facts about Aert van der Neer

Aert van der Neer, also known as Aernout or Artus  was a landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, specializing in small night scenes lit only by moonlight and fires, and snowy winter landscapes, both often looking down a canal or river.

He was a contemporary of Aelbert Cuyp and Meindert Hobbema, and like the latter he lived and died in comparative obscurity.Let’s take a look at some of the little known facts about him;

1.Van Der Neer was born in Gorinchem

Van Der Neer was born in Gorinchem also called Gorkum, or Gorcum or Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1603 or 1604.His birth date not known exactly. He is famous for his nocturnal landscapes and winter scenes.

He lived in Gorinchem as a steward to the lords of Arkel, which would account for the absence of any pictures dating from his early years.He became an amateur painter possibly upon contact with the Amsterdam painters Rafael and Jochem Govertsz Camphuysen. 

2.He started his career with monogram of A.V. and D.N. interlaced with a date in 1639

Aert Van Der Neer – Winter Skating Scene Photo sourced from

The earliest pictures in which Van Der Neer coupled his monogram of A.V. and D.N. interlaced with a date are a winter landscape in the Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam (dated 1639), and another in the Martins collection at Kiel (1642) immature works both, of poor quality.

Far better is the Winter Landscape (1643), and the Moonlight Scene (1644) once in the d’Arenberg collection in Brussels.In 1652 Van Der Neer witnessed the fire which consumed the old town-hall of Amsterdam. He made this accident the subject for two or three pictures, now in the galleries of Berlin and Copenhagen. 

3.Van Der Neer’s favourite subjects were the rivers and watercourses 

Van Der Neer’s favourite subjects were the rivers and watercourses of his native country either at sunset or after dark. His peculiar skill is shown in realizing translucence which allows objects even distant to appear in the darkness with varieties of warm brown and steel greys.

Another of his fancies is to paint frozen water, and his daylight icescapes with golfers, sleighers, and fishermen are as numerous as his moonlights. But he always avoids the impression of frostiness, which is one of his great gifts.

His mastery of light effects is revealed in his many darkened landscapes lit by a full moon or a burning building as well as by his sensitivity to the appearance of light on water and ice. 

4.His picture are less valuable than most of his peers

Aert van der Neer – Moonlight Landscape with Broad Canal – Karlsruhe Photo sourced from

Though his pictures are not scarce, they are less valuable in the market than those of peers including Cuyp or Hobbema; but, possessing a charm peculiarly their own, they are much sought after by collectors.

Out of about one hundred and fifty pictures accessible to the public, the choicest selection is in the Hermitage at Saint Petersburg. In England paintings from his brush are to be found at the National Gallery and Wallace Collection.

5.Van der Neer鈥檚 work exhibits the influence of a Flemish landscape tradition

Van der Neer鈥檚 work exhibits the influence of a Flemish landscape tradition known to art historians as the Frankenthal school, represented chiefly by Gillis van Coninxloo. Characteristic features of that school are the use of a limited tonal palette, the depiction of winding paths that lead the eye, and the presentation of isolated figures.

Van der Neer specialized in canal and river landscapes seen by the light of sunset or early dawn or鈥攎ost characteristic of all鈥攂y moonlight, as in River Scene by Moonlight. Within this somewhat limited range, van der Neer had no rival among his contemporaries. His sensitive handling of subdued light and its reflections on water and in the windows of riverside houses is unequaled.

6.Modern scholars praise his ability to create a sense of space and atmosphere

Aert van der Neer – Moonlight Landscape with Broad Canal – Karlsruhe Photo sourced from

A master at representing light, Aert van der Neer painted moonlit river views that embody the principles of Dutch landscape painting in the 1600s. Those principles included isolated figures on meandering paths that cut through a wooded forest, and cloud-filled skies.

Van der Neer used a restricted palette of earthy colors and, like most artists during this period, painted indoors. Although he did not receive much attention in his own time, modern scholars praise his ability to create a sense of space and atmosphere.

7.His early work elements was typical of landscape style developed by Jan Van Goyen

Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Aert van der Neer, winter landscape Photo by Dguendel

From the early 1640s Van der Neer introduced into his work elements typical of the 鈥渢onal鈥� landscape style developed by Jan van Goyen, Salomon van Ruysdael and Pieter de Molijn. In the mid-1640s he developed his own style and specialised in winter scenes, snowstorms, and nocturnal compositions, particularly rivers illuminated by moonlight and sunsets.

His landscapes tend to use a slightly elevated viewpoint and include a river or path that leads into the background as it narrows. His studies of light are his most important contribution to Dutch landscape painting.

8.He was married to Lijsbeth Govers from Bergen-op-Zoom

In 1629 van der Neer was living at Herenmarkt near the Brouwersgracht. He married Lijsbeth Govers from Bergen-op-Zoom, who lived in the Warmoesstraat near the Damrak and together they were blessed with several children. 

Aert van der Neer鈥檚 best works were painted from the mid-1640s until around 1660. Between 1659 and 1662 he is documented as an innkeeper on the Klaverstraat in Amsterdam with one of his sons where he became bankrupt. 

9.Two of his sons became painters

Two of his sons became painters. The elder, Eglon Hendrick van der Neer, was noted as a genre painter while the younger, Johannes van der Neer, focused on landscape, imitating his father鈥檚 work.

The work of Aert van der Neer is represented in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam; the Mauritshuis, The Hague; the National Gallery, London; the Wallace Collection, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Louvre, 麻豆APP.

10.He died aged on 9th November 1677

In spite of being one of the most outstanding landscapists of the seventeenth century, van der Neer died in poverty in Amsterdam on 9th November 1677,after going bankrupt in years Bering his demise.He died aged 73 or 74 years. 

Van der Neer rarely dated his pictures which leaves us with many questions with regards to the precise chronology of his output. One of the most striking features of this winter scene is the powerful, almost magic, light.He is one of the most renowned people in his profession and his contribution to the art cannot be forgotten.