River Landscape

1660 · Private collection

landscape

The picture shows a river landscape with elegant travelers and a beggar in a dune landscape. Throughout his career, Wynants drew inspiration for his landscapes from the dunes near his native Haarlem. The artist often employed a similar compositional structure in his landscapes, with a path winding through the undulating dunes and receding into the distance.

About the Artist

Jan Wynants

1630 – 1684

Jan Wynants (Wijnants), Dutch landscape painter, active first in Haarlem, then from 1660 in Amsterdam, where he also kept an inn, but was still always in debt. He specialized in landscapes with dunes and sandy roads, inspired by the countryside around Haarlem - unpretentious, naturalistic views that were favourites with collectors in the 17th and 18th centuries. Wynants was prolific and his work is in many public collections. Adriaen van de Velde was his pupil and Gainsborough was among the artists he influenced.

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