Waldlandschaft mit Hirten und Vieh by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek - Beautiful Terrain

Waldlandschaft mit Hirten und Vieh

Waldlandschaft mit Hirten und Vieh c1857 by Dutch Painter Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803 – 1862); a renowned landscape artist and father of Johannes Hermanus Barend Koekkoek (1840 – 1912); a painter of the Romantic and Realism Styles who was a renowned marine painter.

This is an enchantingly beautiful wilderness landscape scene with plenty of tall lush green trees, with some being a reddish brown color, which may indicate the coming of autumn.

The expansive grass lands we can see a small herd of young and old cows grazing in the warm glow of the setting sun; and off to the left of the cows we can see what appears to be a small grave site.

There is a main road, and in the far distance we can see a single traveler; while closer to the viewer are two other travelers, one a female riding a top of a donkey and a man with a long walking stick beside the pair, with two male cows walking in front of them.

To the right of the scene on a hill we can see structure of some sort that may be religious nature, as there is a cross mounted on the roof of the structure.

There is also a gully on the left side of the scene that flows along side the path, cutting beneath it and exiting on the right, flowing farther down stream among the rocks and boulders and high terrain that form a path for the flowing water.

And finally in the scene are the beautiful billowing white clouds against a beautiful blue sky that that have beautiful golden accents, light rose accents and blue and grey accents; making the painting complete.

Waldlandschaft mit Hirten und Vieh is a retouched digital art old masters reproduction of a public domain image.

Info Below Derived From Wikipedia.org

Barend was the eldest son of Dutch Painter and Draughtsman Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778 – 1851) and Anna van Koolwijk, was born in the province of Zeeland on October 11, 1803; he also had two brothers that were also successful painters, Marine Painter Hermanus Koekkoek (1815–1882) and Landscape Painter Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek (1807–1868); as well as another brother Johannes Koekkoek.

Barend obtained his first artistic instruction from is father, continuing his studies at the Drawing Academy of Middelburg, where he studied under Dutch Painter Abraham Krayestein (1793 – 1855) where he enrolled in 1817.

Barend decided on a career as a landscape artist, at which he excelled, being called during his life time the “Prince of Landscape Paintings” and was considered the greatest landscapist of his time; being regarded as the founding father of Dutch Romantic Landscape Painting.

His main landscape focus, was on creating woodland areas and forest, mainl with winter and summer themes; but painted them in all seasons of the year and fitted them with tiny figures of people and animals going about their daily lives; but a great emphasis on the majesty of nature and the greatness of creation.

Barend was one of the few artist to receive an endless list of artistic awards and decorations and was able to count as his clients King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV of Prussia (1795 – 1861), Tsar Alexander II (1818 – 1881), and King Willem II of the Netherlands (1792 – 1849).