Aert van der Neer

Aert van der Neer, c. 1603 – 9 November 1677, 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 Albert Cuyp and Meindert Hobbema, and like the latter he lived and died in comparative obscurity. Van Der Neer's favorite 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 grays. Another of his fancies is to paint frozen water, and his daylight icescapes with golfers, sleighs, and fishermen are as numerous as his moonlights. But he always avoids the impression of frostiness, which is one of his great gifts.