Jan van Goyen

Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) learned to paint in Leiden. He had several teachers, including Willem Gerritsz and Isaac van Swanenburg and glass painters Cornelis and Hendrick Clock. Later, he became a pupil of landscape painter Esaias van de Velde of Haalem. At first, Van Goyen employed Van de Velde's vibrant style. Then, around 1627, he began to move towards a more monochrome palette (from the Greek monochromos, ‘one colour’). His landscapes generally contain just one or two colours: like Salomon van Ruysdael, he worked mainly in greens and greys. Van Goyen was one of the most prolific artists of the 17th century and his tremendous output inevitably led to repetition. Some 1,200 paintings and 800 drawings are known by Van Goyen. Many of the latter were made on his travels around the Netherlands, France and Germany. He lived in Leiden from 1618 to 1632, spending his last years in The Hague.