Marten Ryckaert (1587–1631) Group of travelers in a tree alley

Marten Ryckaert (Antwerp, 1587–1631)

Oil on panel, 41 x 72.5 cm

c. 1620

Tree-lined avenue with a group of travellers

This painting depicts a vast, lively rural landscape, structured around a majestic avenue lined with tall trees with powerful trunks, whose foliage forms a shady canopy. This avenue leads the eye into the distance and constitutes the main axis of the composition.

In the foreground, we can see a group of horsemen and walkers advancing calmly along the path. Their colourful costumes add bright accents and enliven the scene, while emphasising the monumental scale of the surrounding nature. On the left, the landscape opens up onto green meadows where herds graze, punctuated by winding streams and small bridges, while in the distance a village dominated by a church can be seen, harmoniously integrated into the rolling hills.

On the right, a wetland or pond reflects the clear sky and riverside trees. Ducks and figures engaged in daily activities can be seen near rural houses with sloping roofs, evoking a peaceful and industrious life. The largely clear sky is animated by a few light clouds and birds in flight, accentuating the feeling of space and depth.

A Flemish landscape painter, Marten Ryckaert was part of a family of five artists: his father David Ryckaert I, a painter and art dealer, was his first teacher, and he later studied under the landscape painter Tobias Verhaecht. Between 1605 and 1610, like Jan Brueghel I and II, he completed his training with a stay in Italy, where he was influenced by Paul Bril, whom he met in Rome. These years were decisive in the development of his conception of landscape, and he produced a large number of drawings of the most beautiful views of the surroundings of Rome. He also learned to lighten his palette, which brought freshness and translucency to his paintings. On his return in 1611, he became a master of the Antwerp Painters' Guild. In 1619, he also became a member of the “De Violieren” Chamber of Rhetoric. He died in 1631 at the height of his career, aged 44.

Despite his disability (he had only one arm), Marten Ryckaert developed great talent and was highly regarded as a landscape painter. He invented and perfected his own personal style: rich colours or impasto in the foreground, lighter and applied in bright touches in the distance, always with great attention to detail.