Animals near a Building
- Artist: Adriaen van de Velde
- Date: 1663
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "Animals near a Building" by Adriaen van de Velde. Painted in 1663, it's one of the many tranquil and serene pastoral scenes created by this artist. These paintings were designed to give city dwellers a sense of being connected to traditional life and the countryside.
Notice how the bay horse is placed centrally, its strong line dominating the picture and hinting at the animal's power. The line leads your eye past its feathery mane ruffled in the wind, and up to the fast moving clouds overhead. One of them catches the sun as it edges between the darker clouds that move away on either side of it.
The cow and goat may seem static, but Van de Velde has captured their life and energy through his use of light. The water flowing from a pipe behind the cow adds to the freshness of the scene. It's a beautiful example of how he could convey movement and energy in what at first glance appears to be a tranquil scene.
See it in person
Animals near a Building 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.
