Van Bloemen – Classical Italian Landscapes: A 17th Century Capriccio

Perhaps it is the fact that “Bloemen” means “flowers” in Dutch, but the mention of van Bloemen conjures up images of warm summer days and romantic depictions of lush August evenings.

Though of Flemish heritage, van Bloemen was predominantly known for his Classical Italian landscapes and, as such, he has inspired many of his contemporaries to follow in his footsteps. They recognised Orizzonte’s talent for choosing engaging subject matter, expertly laying out his composition as well as harmonising colour and, so, happily followed the Classical Italian landscape trend.

The scene demonstrates how a follower of the artist emulated on van Bloemen’s style, capturing the essence and the mood of the Italian countryside in all its glory; juxtaposing untouched landscape and wild spectacle of nature with rational Classical architecture. Both the perspective and the composition of this painting are skilfully executed and attractively balanced and while van Bloemen was certainly the inspiration for the piece, it bears the unique, elegant brushstroke of its creator.

This good size landscape has the potential to add atmosphere and serenity to an interior. It would make an excellent addition to an existing collection or become a fine starting point for someone new to this genre.