River landscape with bridge-Albert Cuyp. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Aelbert Cuyp


 

The Dutch Golden Age, a period between 1588 and 1672, was characterized by acclaimed success in trade, art, and science in the Dutch Republic. In art, a considerable number of Dutch painters from the era have been credited for their impressive feats, and Aelbert Cuyp is one of them. Cuyp was born on 20 October 1620, to a portraitist. He was a prolific landscape artist and is especially renowned for his warmly lit river scenes of the Dutch countryside. He was influenced by fellow Dutch landscapist Jan van Goyen, and French artist Claude Lorrain. Here are the top 10 incredible facts about Aelbert Cuyp.

He was a pupil of his father

Portrait of a girl with a basket of eggs-Jacob Cuyp. Wikimedia Commons.

His father, Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp, was a portraitist. He was his first teacher, and the two are said to have worked together on several paintings. Aelbert worked on the landscape background for several of his father’s portraits. His earliest works are mostly genre scenes, as influenced by his father, but he would later establish himself as a landscape painter. He drew inspiration from other landscape painters such as Jan van Goyen and Jan Both. Whether he studied under van Goyen is contested.

Read more on the 10 Most Famous Dutch Painters of all time.

He was the most famous in his family of painters

Aelbert Cuyp. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Cuyp was born into a family of Dutch painters. His grandfather, Gerrit Gerritsz Cuyp was a stained glass cartoon draughtsman during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. His uncle Benjamin Cuyp was a landscape painter. Both Benjamin and Cuyp studied under Aelbert Cuyp’s father, Jacob Cuyp. The latter was a portraitist. Cuyp is however considered the most popular from his family of painters.

He was a leading citizen in Dordrecht

Cuyp came into a good deal of property after the death of his father and mother in 1651 and 1654 respectively. His marriage to a wealthy widow, Cornelia Boschman in 1658, and his service posts in administrative affairs of the city of Dordrecht also contributed to his steady economic status. He served in the Reformed Church as well and is considered to have worked for top families in the city as an artist.

Cuyp is regarded as the Dutch equivalent of French painter Claude Lorrain

Landscape painting by Claude Lorrain. Wikimedia Commons.

Claude Lorrain was a leading French artist, known for his striking landscape paintings. His inspiration was largely drawn from the Rome countryside, and his use of light to create subtle yet poetic atmospheres is evident in some of Cuyp’s Italianate pieces. The connecting link between Cuyp and Claude is said to have been Jan Both, a Dutch landscapist. Jan Both had met Claude in Rome, and his paintings, use of sunlight, and enlivened figures show a clear influence of Claude. Most of his river scenes, such as the River Scene with a Ferry Boat, are an illustration of this. Cuyp is considered a Dutch equivalent of Claude, a remarkable landscapist.

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 Jan van Goyen bore a significant influence on his style

Dutch river scene-Aelbert Cuyp. Wikimedia Commons.

Van Goyen was a prominent Dutch landscape painter during the 17th century. He painted more than a thousand paintings, some of which are housed at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. He painted many landscape subjects, including river scenes and cityscapes, and his atmospheric tone and lighting contrast to create a realistic piece can be seen in some of Cuyp’s works. The yellow and light brown tones, and hardly smooth color techniques are visible in Cuyp’s River Scene, Two men conversing (1641).

Read more on Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Jan van Goyen.

He painted a wide range of subjects

Portrait of a girl holding peaches-Aelbert Cuyp. Netherlands Institute for Art History. Wikimedia Commons.

Having first trained with his father, a portraitist, Cuyp’s earliest subjects included animals, historical themes, and even portraits. He is however known for his landscape paintings, which he specialized in as his career grew. His river scenes are the most popular, depicting beautiful views of the Waal and Maas in Dordrecht. He included subjects such as cattle, sheep, boats, and peasants in the paintings. His style was characterized by subtle light contrasts, sometimes glowing over his subjects to create an atmospheric effect. Cuyp did not travel much, so most of his paintings depict surroundings in and around Dordrecht.

His marriage contributed to the end of his painting career

Cuyp married Cornelia Boschman on July 30, 1658. She was the widow of Johan Van den Corput, a wealthy civil servant at Middelburg. Cuyp’s painting activities grew lesser after his marriage, and his increased church duties may have contributed to the same. He was appointed in the Dutch Reformed Church as a deacon barely a year after his marriage, and is said to have been a man of ‘irreproachable character.’

Most of his paintings have been largely misattributed

van Calraet, Abraham ; Saddling Horses; National Trust, Petworth House. Wikimedia Commons.

Cuyp rarely dated or signed his paintings. Much is also not known about his workshop or life in general, and very little is documented. The heavy stylistic influences from Claude, van Goyen, and his father also make it difficult to draw a clear distinction in his works. Perhaps the most confusing bit is that one of Cuyp’s father’s followers, Abraham van Calraet, imitated his style to quite a great extent. The two also shared the same initials; A.C. With strikingly similar landscape paintings, and similar initials, attributing Cuyp’s works is difficult. It’s not inconceivable that most works have been mislabeled.

For more on Dutch painters, check out the Top 10 Facts about Abraham Bloemaert.

Barent van Calraet is mentioned as his only pupil

Dutch golden age historian, Houbraken, mentions Barent van Calraet as his only pupil. Barent was Abraham van Calraet’s brother. The latter is speculated to have been a pupil too, or certainly a follower due to his near-accurate imitation of Cuyp’s landscape paintings and style. Their works have been misattributed. Generally, Cuyp is held to have had many followers and imitators, including Jacob van Strij.

Some of Cuyp’s attributed works can be found in museums

The passage boat-Aelbert Cuyp, Royal Collection. Wikimedia Commons.

His sole painting in public collections in Spain, ‘Landscape with a sunset’ is displayed at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands houses several of his works too, but some of these have been reattributed to other painters. While Cuyp’s works were imitated and misattribution is apparent, he is nevertheless considered one of the leading Dutch Golden Age landscape painters.

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