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Notes
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In this unusually large painting from the 1630s, van Eertvelt depicts a dramatic scene of Dutch yachts sailing in a stiff breeze off a northern European coast. In the composition the heavy, dark-green rolling waves of the foreground are seen from an elevated viewpoint with single waves rising into curved yet triangular shapes. Here, two men in an open craft attend to an upturned boat. On the far left, a man clings to the hull of a vessel upon which the artist’s initials have been inscribed. Beyond the foreground the perspective changes and, except for the nearest two yachts, all vessels are depicted at eye-level creating the impression of a maze of masts and sails before the horizon. The scene is intensly dramatic and vivid. Sunlight streaming in from the left under the dark rain-clouds accentuates the taut sails, which in turn contribute to the picture’s overall sense of competitive vigour.
Although a very long legacy of over painting has somewhat obscured van Eertvelt’s hand, the picture is nonetheless an interesting example of the change in his style after he returned from his residence in Italy of 1628 to 1630. The colourful detail in the figures’ costumes, such as the blue and red caps worn by the sailors, and the high horizon, still betray his earlier mannerist style. But the colour scheme of the sea and the sky has been unified and is now concentrated around a palette of subtle browns and greys. A greater degree of tonality here also marks out the new ‘naturalism’, which was adopted by Dutch artists such as Jan van Goyen in the 1630s.
Title
Dutch Yachts Racing
Date
1630s
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 123.2 x W 201.9 cm
Accession number
BHC0741
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
A. E
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England
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