Battle Scene

Wouwerman, Philips, school of 1619 - 1668

Summary

This battle scene, in a fine landscape setting, is attributed to a contemporary follower of the prolific 17th-century Haarlem painter, Philips Wouwerman. Despite the frenetic fighting taking place in the foreground, the bright landscape is a major focus of attention. We are drawn from the sombre browns of the foreground to the appealing greens and blues of the panorama beyond. The distant landscape is far from peaceful, however: the hilltop villages are fortified, a troop of soldiers pours across the valley, while rising smoke suggests that villages have been sacked. Wouwermans is credited with being the most accomplished and successful painter of horses of his day, but his versatility is evident in his landscapes and genre scenes. By about 1649 he had developed a growing interest in landscape painting and his paintings in successive years demonstrate his mastery of the subject.