A Farm among Trees
- Artist: Jan van der Heyden
- Date: about 1670
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is "A Farm among Trees" painted by Jan van der Heyden. In this painting, Van der Heyden has veiled the buildings with a screen of trees, obscuring our view and creating an air of mystery. The lighting effects enhance this sense of mystery - it's a day with bright sunny spells, but grey clouds loom and there's still plenty of blue in the sky. Notice how the tops of the trees are caught by sunshine, especially on the left-hand side of the painting. The cowherd on the river bank has rolled up his trousers, happy to leave one leg dangling in the water while he washes the other foot. Despite this warmth, there's deep shade in the foreground and gloom in the underwood - we struggle to make out the details of the figure on the bank and the scattering of sheep and cows in the shadows. The pool reflects back only the sombre shadows of the trees and buildings, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.
See it in person
A Farm among Trees hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
