Forest Landscape with a Stream

Author: Albert J. Elen

A similar forest landscape drawing, dated 1590, of approximately the same size and in the same technique, is now in Boston (ill. 1).¹ Both drawings, dated two years apart, are imaginary forest views, in which the human figure is practically absent. Only two schematically indicated tiny figures can be discerned in each of them. Bol started making these pure forest landscapes, leaving out biblical or allegorical scenes, only later in his career. Franz (1963) was the first to remark Bols innovative approach in the depiction of these forest landscapes. The artist used his favourite drawing technique of pen and brown ink combined with washes in grey ink to create a convincing sense of depth by alternating shadowed and sun-lit areas, the trees on individual slopes serving as natural coulisses, leaving open a central ‘passage way’ leading to the vanishing point in the lower centre. Whereas the Boston drawing shows an open space in the forest, with the sky visible in the centre, the composition of the Rotterdam drawing is almost entirely closed by the trees, the foliage filling most of the upper section, allowing only a limited open area at top right with a distant view to the church on a hill. In this respect Bol’s composition resembles a (much larger) drawing from the so-called Gillis van Coninxloo Group in Dresden, formerly attributed to David Vinckboons.²

Two similar forest views, now both in Paris, precede the two in Rotterdam and Boston: they are in the same technique and are both dated 1586.³ One depicts a somewhat open forest landscape like the one in Boston, the other a closed forest interior with a fallen tree (ill. 2), much like the Rotterdam drawing. These are probably based on studies made from direct observation in the countryside, like two small landscapes in metalpoint on white prepared paper, now in Paris (ill. 3).⁴ The two combined individual drawings, on the reverse of the right half of an unsigned and undated wide panoramic view of Dordrecht from the North, are very close in setting and style and even though being studies from nature, they have a high degree of finish.⁵ Bol probably made these drawings in a (hypothetical, now lost) sketch-book during the period of approximately two years that he lived in Dordrecht, where his brother Jacob also stayed for several years.⁶ Afterwards the component parts of the city panorama’s were joined together, whereas the compositionally unrelated verso landscape drawings were separated by drawn cadres.

The outlines of the drawings in Rotterdam and Boston have not been incised for transfer of the image to a copper plate for engraving and the drawings may therefore be considered works of art in their own right, fully signed and dated, meant to be sold.