Aelbert Cuyp

Albert Cuyp - His father as teacher and first patron

Aelbert Cuyp was born in Dordrecht in 1620, the only son of the painter Jacob Cuyp. He came from a family of artists, of which he himself was the most famous and important. Cuyp probably received most of his training from his father as there is no evidence that he was taught by others or that he was a member of a painters' guild. He initially worked primarily on his father's paintings, anticipating his later career as a landscape painter by contributing the background landscapes to various family portraits.

Landscapes with powerful light and strong colours

It was not until the 1640s that he distanced himself from his father's influence - partly as a result of a trip to Holland - and modelled his first independent paintings on the works of Salomon van Ruysdael, Herman Saftleven II and, above all, Jan van Goyen, with whom he probably also had personal contact. Aelbert Cuyp differed from his role models with his brighter and more contrasting lighting and a greater use of figurative elements, but his landscape paintings from this phase still had a rather subdued, restrained mood. Later, he opened himself up to the influence of Jan Both, who in turn was close to Claude Lorrain, and took Dutch landscape painting to an unprecedented climax by bathing the familiar river landscapes of his homeland in the warm light of a southern sun. An important motif for Aelbert Cuyp was his hometown of Dordrecht, the charms of which he portrayed in a particular light from various angles.

The leading citizen of his city had little time for art

The death of his father in 1652 and his mother in 1654 marked a turning point in Aelbert Cuyp's life. He inherited a certain fortune and quickly became a leading citizen of his city, which eventually led to his marriage to Cornelia Boschmann, the widow of the former regent Johan van den Corput. She brought three stepchildren and his only biological child, a daughter, as well as considerable wealth and his ultimate rise to the top of society. This led to numerous offices of honour and dignities, but they took up so much of Aelbert Cuyp's time that he could hardly find the leisure for his painting.

World fame only after Aelbert Cuyp’s death

During his lifetime, Aelbert Cuyp was hardly known outside of his hometown, but his special style was adapted and continued by the brothers Abraham and Barent van Calraet - probably former pupils of Aelbert Cuyp. This only changed when a sales catalogue from 1774 equated him with the French master Claude Lorrain and interest in Cuyp's works suddenly increased. His paintings were particularly appreciated in England, where famous English painters such as John Constable and William Turner were demonstrably inspired by his style. The art world has long since widely recognised the importance of the Dutch master, and considerable prices are paid today for genuine paintings by Aelbert Cuyp.