View of the Groote Kerk in Dordrecht from the River Maas
Aelbert Cuyp Dutch
Not on view
Aelbert Cuyp was the foremost painter of landscapes in his native Dordrecht. Distinguished for his paintings of crystalline light and atmosphere, he was also a fine draftsman working in pencil, chalk, and watercolor. Cuyp often combined these media, along with gum arabic, to capture local topography veiled in transient light.
Absent several buildings razed since the seventeenth century, this panoramic view of the Groote Kerk in Dordrecht records a present-day perspective either from Zwijndrecht, opposite Dordrecht on the other side of the River Maas, or from a boat on the river. The view appears to have served as a model for the background of the painting Cattle on a Bank near Dordrecht, which exists in several versions by other artists. It is possible that the composition for this painting was taken from a lost landscape by Cuyp, for which this drawing was preparatory.
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