Haarlem Sea, 1656

About the Work

The native landscape was the most popular pictorial theme in seventeenth-century Holland. The Netherlands had become an independent economic world power, and its self-confident citizens and merchants wanted motifs that had not been adopted from Italian painting. Van Goyen complied ‒ more than 1,200 times. In addition to their rapid and superb execution, his works were also affordably priced. The landscapes are dramatically staged. Owing to the high demand, the artist had no trouble selling them. They did not make him rich, though; he worked as an auctioneer, speculated in tulip bulbs and dealt in real estate. Incidentally, if we were to stand on the same spot today, we would be looking at Schiphol Airport.