Sunset Landscape with a Shepherd and his Flock by Follower of Sir Peter Paul Rubens

This sweeping vista takes the viewer on a journey through swathes of colour, from the raw ochres of the earthy foreground to a distant landscape of rich greens and blues. Touches of pink illuminate the horizon, the last glimmers of a setting sun which merge into the stormy sky. A double rainbow is suggested in the upper left corner by two arcs formed of light brushstrokes which sweep across the clouds. In this pastoral panorama the only signs of human life are a barely visible rooftop that breaks the bands of green in the middle distance, and the lone shepherd leading his flock with a pipe, the burst of white creating a stark focal point. Fluid brushstrokes emphasize the impression of the sheep moving in unison, engulfing the cattle as they surge behind the shepherd.

The loose handling and airy atmosphere of this painting show the influence of Flemish artist, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). A prolific artist in many genres, he turned to landscapes later in his career, often based around his country estate of Het Steen, near Mechelen in Flanders. In this painting, the artist, possibly Rubens’s pupil Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), has incorporated Rubens’s use of atmospheric perspective to contrast the hazy cool mountains with the warm and detailed foreground. Other influences are evident, such as the shepherd and his flock, cleverly integrated into the scene, which are similar to an engraving after the Venetian artist, Titian (c.1487/90-1576). This imagined scene, rendered on a large scale, marks a freedom of expression that artists were able to explore through landscape painting.