Wooded Landscape with River 1645 - 1680

Johan de Lagoor painted this Wooded Landscape with River using oil on panel in the mid-17th century. Note how the composition is structured around a horizontal format, which encourages the eye to sweep across the tranquil scene, from the riverbank in the foreground to the distant hills. The application of color and light in this piece orchestrates a serene viewing experience. Observe how the muted palette of greens and browns, contrasted with soft blues and whites in the sky, creates a calming effect, while the reflections in the water mirror the scene above, enhancing its symmetry and depth. The painting's organization into distinct zones—water, land, and sky—reflects a structured approach to landscape painting characteristic of the period. These divisions invite a semiotic reading, with each zone representing different aspects of nature and human interaction, such as the balance between wildness and cultivation. It is in this synthesis of observation and artistic construction that the painting offers a window into both the natural world and the structuring principles of representation itself.