Contact gallery for price		Joris van der Haagen * Dordrecht or Arnhem circa 1615 - 1669 The Hague A Wooded Landscape Oil on panel 15 1/2 x 22 3/4 inches (39.9 x 57.8 cm.) 25 1/4 x 32 1/4 inches framed Provenance: With Kunsthandel J.D. Klaassen, Rotterdam, 1935 Joris van der Haagen was the son of the artist Abraham van der Haagen (d. 1639), who probably introduced Joris to the art of painting. Joris was born between 1613 and 1617, in Arnhem or Dordrecht. He was a painter and draftsman of topographic views, woodlands and panoramas. He depicted diverse sites around The Netherlands and Brussels. He sometimes collaborated with Nicolaes Berchem and Adriaen van de Velde who contributed the staffage, while Dirck Wyntrack added waterfowl and animals in his landscapes. Joris’ family moved to The Hague around 1639 and there he married Magdalena Thijmansdr de Heer. Later he became a member of the guild and a citizen; he was named deacon of The Hague guild in 1651 and headman in 1653. He was also one of the founders of the Confrerie Picture of the same city, where he taught other artists including Jan Jansz Smidt and Joris’ son, Jacobus (1657-1715). Our painting offers a view that is probably that of the Betuwe overlooking the river Waal, in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Although van der Haagen lived in The Hague from 1640 until his death, he traveled extensively through the Netherlands, inspiring a great many drawings and paintings. This particular landscape is quite characteristic of the artist’s style and vision in its compositional plan and construction. Van der Haagen has organized the rolling hills of the Dutch countryside into long horizontal shapes, layering them, as if to sit on top of one another. In addition, he makes subtle shifts in hue and value, moving from dark brown and yellow to pale blue, which ultimately allows the space to recede into the far distance. As the hills gradually disappear into the horizon, the colors grow cooler and reduce in saturation and tone. Thus, the artist captures the delicate beauty and coloration of the scene, while simultaneously attesting to his own mastery in the representing the natural world.