Valley with a River and a Town with Four Towers c. 1626 - 1627

This etching, Valley with a River and a Town with Four Towers, was created by Hercules Segers sometime between 1620 and 1638. The subdued tones of browns, blues and yellows give the landscape an aged, almost dreamlike quality. Segers uses line and texture to define the forms within the valley. The composition is structured around a series of horizontal bands, from the river in the foreground to the distant mountains. A high vantage point flattens the pictorial space, creating a tapestry of interwoven shapes and patterns. Segers deliberately manipulates the printing process, adding layers of ink and altering the surface of the plate to achieve a unique, almost painterly effect. In his landscapes, Segers seems less interested in topographical accuracy and more invested in conveying a mood or a feeling. The rough, uneven texture of the print contributes to the sense of a world in constant flux, where the boundaries between earth, water, and sky are blurred. This manipulation of the printing process and this emphasis on texture reflect an interest in the material qualities of the artwork itself.