Amsterdam Street Scene 

Adrianus Eversen made this "Amsterdam Street Scene" using oil paints, those versatile materials that captured the nuances of light and texture so well. Eversen’s skilled brushwork shaped the soft glow on the cobblestones and the rough surfaces of the buildings. Oil paint, ground with pigment, allowed Eversen to create depth and realism through techniques like glazing and layering. This mimicked the way the sunlight would dapple across a real street scene. But oil painting had a wider cultural significance too. During the 19th century, the availability of mass-produced paints reflected industrial advances, making art more accessible to a growing middle class. This painting shows us that the traditional fine art of painting can also be deeply connected to the materials and processes of its time.