Jasper Van Der Lanen (1585 - 1634) - Pair of landscapes

JASPER VAN DER LANEN (ANTWERP 1585 - 1634)
‘Pair of landscapes with travellers and hunters at rest’.
2x Oil on copper, 16 x 22.5 cm.

Our two landscapes stretch out majestically under a clear, rosy sky, where green tones blend harmoniously with soft blues, evoking an atmospheric perspective.
In the foreground to the right of the first landscape, travellers dressed as peasants are sitting on the ground, taking a rest during their journey on foot. A dog accompanies them and stands by a basket, as if attracted by its contents. The bodies of the travellers seem marked by the fatigue of walking, made more palpable by a large sack carried by a man on his back. Yet the whole scene expresses the serenity of the moment and the harmony between man and nature, in the manner of the landscapes of Jan Brueghel the Younger, to whom Jasper Van Der Lanen has been stylistically compared. To the left, a river meanders gracefully, its sparkling water reflecting the sky, while birds fly overhead, heading towards the horizon. Far to the right, in a more intimate scene, a couple walk softly along a shady path lined with fruit trees in blossom, whose promising branches bring life and colour to this pastoral painting.
As it is a pair, the other landscape is constructed in the same way. Except that instead of peasants, here it is five hunters stopping off in the shade of tall trees with abundant foliage, characteristic of Jaspar Van Der Lanen's style. The alternating tones in his composition range from brown in the foreground, to the green of the foliage and moss of the trees, to blue to make the air palpable in the clearing that opens the composition on the left. But also in the darkness of a path leading to the undergrowth in the centre of the painting. The path suggests that the group of men will continue walking. The man furthest to the right is holding his rifle at gunpoint, probably aiming at a bird. The nearby clearing seems to be the ideal place to surprise game.

Jaspar Van Der Lanen studied with Nicolaas Geerts, and in 1607 became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. He also collaborated with Abraham Govaerts, another famous landscape painter, and continued his studio after Govaerts' death.

Works in museums:
- Buenos Aires National Museum of Fine Arts: The Hunt of Diana and Her Nymphs.
- National Museum of Krakow: Landscape with travellers in the forest.