On 24th November 2022 we took a picture (on our phone, duh) of a small art piece. It was hanging in the Manchester Art Gallery. There was something about it we just liked—the sense of solitude, almost desolation.
Now seems the time to randomly cover it. Flat Landscape with a View to Distant Hills (1648) was by Dutch landscape painter Philips de Koninck (1619-1688).
Koninck and Solitude in Expressive Age of Discovery Landscapes
Koninck was very good at landscape painting! Here's another of his works, a 1664 piece titled An Extensive Landscape, With a River (these works don't have catchy titles, but look rather fetching).
As this was such a long time ago, there aren't many surviving paintings of Koninck's work. It's almost certain he was much more prolific than the 70 (some disputed) paintings of his work that remain.
But the pieces that are available have a distinct vibe.
Koninck clearly up on some vantage point, painting the sweeping distance in a moody colour. Almost like Caspar-David Friedrich's work. But not as gothic.
Still, we think this all of excellent value enough to bring to your attention.
You're looking at skies from 400 years ago. And they look like skies from 400 minutes ago. The time passes, but Koninck captured life in his moment for ours.
And Now a Bit About Philips Koninck
Koninck's work is just stunning. Hundreds of years later and it's incredible to see, whilst also providing glimpses into past society.
Perhaps obviously, and with good reason, Vincent van Gogh dominates the Dutch artistic scene. His work is just almost impossible on a genius front.
However, you have the likes of Koninck providing a more traditional counterpart. Certainly someone who enjoyed more success in his artistic life than van Gogh (not that recognition means much, ultimately).
Koninck's formal training came from his brother Jacob. After this home schooling he became a pupil of the legendary golden age painter Rembrandt.
As you can see in his work, there's this moody atmosphere. A light perspective, but also dark. And he was actually very successful in his career. Bizarrely, the money he earned was enough for him to run barges between Amsterdam and Rotterdam as a separate business.
The idea of that being his customers travelled through his artistic landscapes.
Sadly, there's no video footage of such expeditions. That's because video footage didn't exist during the 1600s. Fact of the day.
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