Barend Cornelis Koekkoek

Kunsthandel Douwes, Amsterdam
Sale Cologne (Lempertz), 26 October 1926, lot 109, illustration 10
Private collection, Germany

F. Gorissen, B.C. Koekkoek 1803-1862. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Düsseldorf 1962, no. 34/84, illustrated

The canvas has been relined. A few tiny restored specks in the lower right corner, the upper right corner and lower left corner. A thin horizontal retouch (possibly a well restored tear) of circa 15 cm. runs through the path in the foreground, just below the feet of the donkey with the red blanket. Otherwise in very good condition. This painting is ready to hang.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1834 Barend Cornelis Koekkoek settled in Cleves, Germany, for the rest of his life. Speaking about Holland, he once said: "Our fatherland boasts no rocks, waterfalls, high mountains or romantic valleys. Proud, sublime nature is not to be found in this land". In Cleves he found all the poetic elements of his ideal Romantic landscapes.

The current lot, which must be one of the first winterlandscapes he painted in his new, inspiring surroundings, boasts all the aspects Koekkoek valued so highly. The rocks on the left tower majestically above the lone traveller, with his two donkeys treading carefully over the icy path. The trees in the centre divide the mountain from the river winding below through the wintry valley. This type of  composition Koekkoek started to use a lot in the 1830's (compare Landscape with setting sun, 1830, now in the Amsterdam Historical Museum). The mountainpath leads from a point in the centre to the lower foreground which it covers almost entirely. The trees on top of the rocks to the left are echoed in the ones in the centre, and then again in the trees and shrubbery in the right foreground, thus creating a strong diagonal which divides the scene in two halves. To the left, we see the snowy mountain, to the right, the panoramic view of the valley beyond and the sky above. In this composition, no pictural element has been placed there by chance. Still the artist avoids the impression of having put the two scenes artificially opposite each other. The positioning of two pictural planes through horizontal and vertical lines creates an impression of harmony and clarity with the viewer. At the same time his eyes have to travel through the painting to grasp all the details of the composition.

This diagonal outlining of a panoramic view by means of a rock and the emphasizing of a visual axis with a tree strongly reminds us of the compositions used by the Italianisanten in the 17th century. These Dutch artists, travelling through Italy in search of the ideal landscape, used the same compositional elements. Compare the current lot to the Italian Landscape painted by Herman van Swanevelt in 1643, now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This use of Italianising effects was also known from Nicholas Berchem, when in his View of Bentheim he not only used the diagonal rockscheme but also an italianising shepherd's scene. Koekkoek's preference for a rock as a framing element in his work had become evident since travelling through the Rhineland and Harz mountains some years before. With this he had found an idiom which he could use in various ways: the composition consisting of two pictural halves, accentuated by a central axis and harmonised by the broadly depicted foreground. It would become the guiding principle of his work in the 1830's.         

Throughout all this mathematic composing Koekkoek never loses sight of the Romantic nature of his work. This impressive painting depicts an overpowering winter landscape with a touch of the sublime, the confusing mixed emotion of excitement and fear while beholding an overwhelming natural phenomenon. The traveller and his donkeys are reduced to a humble size, dominated by powerful nature. This accent on emotional effect was the main feature of Romantic art, as a reaction to the importance of Reason in the eighteenth century Age of Enlightenment. This beautiful winterlandscape, with the sparkling effects of sunlight on the snow and the morning chill almost palpable in the air, can truly be regarded as a masterpiece in Koekkoek's oeuvre.