River Landscape in Moonlight,

ca. 1645–55

Van der Neer made a specialty of painting nocturnal scenes, a new genre in seventeenth-century Dutch art. Many of these works feature river landscapes with wooded banks and moonlight effects. In this imaginary view, houses line the river, seafowl and boats navigate the water, fishing nets are hung to dry on a horizontal spit of land, and two men—one at lower left seen from behind and another near the left-most cottage—populate the dark shores. A church spire and castle in the distance lead the viewer’s eye to the horizon. The earth tones and thin paint application in the darks are complemented by the blue-gray colors and use of impasto dots and dashes in the sky and water. The strong contrasts of light and dark and the reflections caused by the moon’s luminosity create an evocative atmosphere. Despite the uneven cleaning and compromised condition of the painting, the colored light for which Van der Neer was admired can still be appreciated here.