"The Herd" is one of Potter's earliest pure animal pieces, incorporating a direct observation of the Dutch countryside. He depicts rural life with a novel sensitivity to the play of light and shade. As the title of the etching suggests, Potter is…
Ruisdael's "The Rustic Cottage" is not merely an empirical landscape scene, as there is a complex allegorical meaning to the etching. On one signifying level, Ruisdael has created the symbolic theme of vanitas within this etching, which serves as a…
The Shipwreck dates from c.1638-41. A dramatic seascape, the etching depicts several ships being tossed in rough waters during a violent storm. The craggy vertical form of the castle on the right, the masts of the ships and the horizontal line of the…