A water mill with figures in a landscape

While Jan van Goyen frequently depicted windmills, the present painting, which was unknown to Hans-Ulrich Beck, is unusual in the prominence the artist has accorded a water mill. The painting’s composition highlights the development of van Goyen’s works from 1629 through much of the 1630s. In the period the artist produced simple dune landscapes largely conceived in brown and green tones with small figures and recession into depth created by diagonals. However, toward the end of the 1630s van Goyen began to open up his backgrounds through the use of a misty horizon and subtly differentiated silvery-gray tonality, as is evident here. The change in van Goyen’s style at this time may be due in part to his contemporary speculation in tulips, which put a temporary pause on his creative activities.