Jan Weissenbruch, View of Dordrecht

by Atelier Liesjes

A stone bridge with a narrow arch spans a canal, the still waters of which reflect the façades. People are walking across the bridge: a woman dressed in black with a white hood, a gentleman in a long coat, and a couple of children. Beneath the bridge, a boat with a hull painted green and red is passing through; a man is propelling it forward with a long pole. In the foreground on the left lies a small rowing boat with a man inside, who has his hand resting on the quay. The quay is paved with brick and cobblestones; a small dog stands there alone. On the left-hand side rise tall brick façades with stepped gables and red-tiled roofs; on the right stand stately houses with tall chimneys, and a broad, dark-green tree dominates the right-hand half. Above it all is a sky of turquoise and cream, with clouds fanning out like a fan. The signature is at the bottom right. Weissenbruch constructs the cityscape like an architectural painting: the houses and the bridge are sharply defined, whilst the water and the sky are soft and expansive. The sun is low in the sky and casts long shadows across the quay; this lends the scene the feel of a late summer afternoon, when the city comes to a brief standstill. The colour palette consists of warm brick red, ochre yellow, grey-green and bright blue. The style is realistic, with a delicate touch reminiscent of seventeenth-century cityscapes. Jan Weissenbruch (The Hague 1822 – The Hague 1880) was a Dutch cityscape painter, etcher and watercolourist, who became best known for his views of Dordrecht, Leiden and other Dutch cities. He was a nephew of the landscape painter Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch and a member of The Hague Artists’ Association. His work can be found in Dutch museums. A bright, monumental cityscape for a classical interior.