Aert van der Neer Painting Reproductions 1 of 1

Aert van der Neer, a painter of moonlit nights and frozen waterways, lived a life that mirrored the quiet yet profound beauty of his landscapes. Born in Gorinchem or Amsterdam in 1603 or 1604, van der Neer didn’t rush into his artistic career. He started out as a steward, likely only picking up the brush in his late twenties, a fact that immediately sets him apart from his more precocious contemporaries. His marriage to Lysbeth, sister of the artist Rafel Govertszoon Camphuijsen, may have drawn him into the artistic world. His early works, sometimes co-signed by his brother-in-law Jochem, show a developing talent still influenced by older styles and traditions.

But it’s when van der Neer began to focus on landscapes that his true voice emerged. His world was one of calm, dusk-lit riverbanks and icy canals, where the light of a full moon or the last embers of a setting sun flickered across the surface of water. His "River Scene by Moonlight" is a prime example of this sensitivity - the reflections dance across the water, shimmering with a delicate intensity. No one of his time captured the glow of moonlight quite like van der Neer. There’s something haunting and hypnotic about the stillness in his nocturnal scenes, where the light is subdued, but never absent.

He wasn’t confined to moonlight, though. His winter scenes - influenced by Hendrik Avercamp, one of the early masters of Dutch winter paintings - offer another dimension to his artistry. Paintings like "View of the River in Winter" depict frozen canals and rivers, alive with skaters and townspeople. Yet, unlike Avercamp, van der Neer’s scenes tend to be quieter, less crowded, with a focus on light and atmosphere rather than bustling activity. His work reflects a contemplation of nature, a serene observation of the world as it shifts between day and night, summer and winter.

Despite his immense talent, van der Neer never found financial success. By the late 1650s, his career as a painter had faded, and he turned to running a wine tavern with his son Jan. The venture failed, and by the time of his death in 1677, he was living in poverty. Still, the inventory of his belongings recorded him as a painter - even in his final years, when the world had forgotten him, he remained an artist at heart. His son Eglon carried on the family tradition, but Aert’s vision - of quiet moonlit rivers and the soft crackle of ice underfoot - remains uniquely his.