Aert Van der Neer

Amsterdam 1603/04 - 1677

In his youth, Aert van der Neer lived in the town of Gorinchem, worked as a butler and studied landscape painting as a pupil of Raphael Camphuysen. Around 1632, he married and moved to Amsterdam. There he continued as an inn-keeper though with minor success in the long run. In 1662, he was forced into bankruptcy.

Along with his duties as an inn-keeper, Aert van der Neer continuously painted landscapes. He further developed the traditional Dutch winter landscape, but his main achievement was in the field of nocturnal views and moonlit landscapes. Van der Neer used colours boldly in creating night skies of radiantly glowing clouds and moon reflections. At best, his lyrical nocturnal paintings are filled with dramatic effect and romantic intensity.

Aert van der Neer himself was paid relatively little for his paintings. They did not appreciate much in value, however, until the golden age of romantic landscapes during the 1700s and 1800s. At that time, his nocturnal scenes were sought after particularly by English collectors and to meet the growing demand, several more or less skilful imitations of his works appeared on the market.