A River between Rocky Cliffs
- Artist: Lodewijck van Ludick
- Date: about 1670
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
"This is 'A River between Rocky Cliffs' by Lodewijck van Ludick, painted in the Italian north around 1670. You see a high, craggy cliff with a castle on one side and its round tower reaching for the clouds. The other cliffs are lower but seem to threaten the tiny travellers wading through the water between them. Two elegant riders pace back and forth - maybe waiting for them or their turn to cross. The only thing that eases the sense of danger is the warm gold of the sky. Van Ludick's use of light and composition creates a dramatic scene, typical of Dutch artists who were inspired by the Italian landscape. They would often take ideas from their time in Italy back home and reimagine them in their own work."
See it in person
A River between Rocky Cliffs hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
