Signed and dated “MR 1628”
Provenance: private collection
This charming Panoramic landscape with a watermill and two windmills wonderfully summarises the personal style acquired by Martin...
read moreSigned and dated “MR 1628”
Provenance: private collection
This charming Panoramic landscape with a watermill and two windmills wonderfully summarises the personal style acquired by Martin Rijckaert during his stay in Italy. Having met Paul Bril in Rome, the artist moved away from the compositions reminiscent of ‘Velvet’ Brueghel and introduced a more Italian touch to landscape. Remaining Flemish in his choice of subjects and his rendering of picturesque scenes, Rijckaert included a mixture of numerous waterfalls, copses and ruined aediculae in his work, which he had observed while crossing the Alps. They were now included alongside the windmills and gentle hills of the Low Countries.
Rijckaert painted this work in 1628, when his art was at its peak. It integrates the different artistic influences that marked the artist and which he finally united into one particular style: the vigorous small figures in the foreground, loaded with packages, are reminiscent of ‘Velvet’ Brueghel’s work. These small, dynamic figures punctuate the brown earth with bright colours. Beyond a small bridge, a charming construction houses a watermill. Above the latter stands an impressive windmill. In Flemish landscape, it symbolises the cycle and regular rotation of time. It also conveys the idea of a fair destiny for everyone: all the grains are milled in the same way and with the same intensity. The positioning of the sails also carry a specific meaning: forming the Saint Andrew’s cross here, they signify the miller’s prosperity, and the return to peace after a battle. A second hazy windmill is outlined in the distance.
The worthy successor of his master from Antwerp, Tobias Verhaecht, Rijckaert remained an enthusiast of chromatic perspective by creating the perception of space through the use of different colours. Hence, the foreground is composed of dark colours veering towards ochre, while the middleground is plunged into green and white tonalities. Finally, in the background, the sky, earth and rivers melt into a delicate glaze of blues and whites.
Following in the footsteps of the Flemish landscape artists, but also the great tradition of artists who travelled through Italy, Rijckaert expresses his style through the dense, round foliage of the trees. His art is also recognisable through the presence of water, which is often turbulent, such as small rapids or lively waterfalls. Often, as is the case in our delightful panel, a small bridge gives the painting its picturesque character. Rarely signed, it is the rigour of the composition, the cheerful atmosphere and the perfect mastery of the colour that make Rijckaert’s works so appealing. Dated and monogrammed, this Panoramic landscape with a watermill and two windmills perfectly conveys our artist’s personality: it can be considered as one of the most touching examples of his work.
1587 - Antwerp – 1631
A Flemish landscape painter, Martin Rijckaert belonged to a family of five artists. His father, the painter and art dealer David Rijckaert I, was his first master, after which...
read more1587 - Antwerp – 1631
A Flemish landscape painter, Martin Rijckaert belonged to a family of five artists. His father, the painter and art dealer David Rijckaert I, was his first master, after which he became the pupil of the landscape artist Tobias Verhaecht. Master of the Antwerp Guild of Painters in 1611, he also became a ‘Member of the Chamber of Rhetoric’. Like Jan Brueghel I and II, it is only later that he would complete his training with several years spent in Italy, where he was influenced by Paul Bril, whom he met in Rome circa 1615-1616. These years were a determining factor in the elaboration of his conception of landscape. He also learnt to lighten his palette, thus bringing a sense of freshness and translucence to his paintings. He invented and perfected a personal style: strong colours or impasto in the foreground, lighter colours painted in lively strokes in the background. Furthermore, the arrangements in his paintings are always rich in details. His works are rarely signed, but his particular conception of foliage in generally dense and rounded tufts, as well as certain favourite motifs, allow us to identify him. His manner of painting water is particularly remarkable. While retaining all his talent as a colourist, Martin Rijckaert shows a powerful sense of composition in his last works, worthy of the greatest landscape artists.
He died in his prime in 1631 at the age of 44.
