Object Image

The Watermills at Singraven near Denekamp

The watermills depicted here still survive today - they are part of the former estate at Singraven, near Denekamp, one of the most easterly points of Holland. Hobbema seems to have been inspired to paint them because his teacher, Jacob van Ruisdael, had depicted the mills on several occasions.

While van Ruisdael was fascinated by the raw power of the water thundering through the sluices, Hobbema's is a more tranquil vision, seen from upstream where the water is almost mirror still. Sunlight dapples the meadows and a man fishes quietly in the mill pond. But there is also plenty of energy in the painting. The leaves are composed of myriad dabbed brushstrokes, while longer, broader, sometimes swi...

probably 1665-70
Oil on oak
60.0 x 84.5cm
NG832
Image and text © The National Gallery, London, 2024

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