Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/570

 540 Painting elegant painter of the life of gentlemen, of war, of hunting, of all the sports in which man has his dog and horse for companions. He is celebrated for the beauty of the land- scapes in his pictures, and yet, unlike most other landscape artists, he was independent of the figure painter, for he painted both men and horses for himself. Jan Baptist Weenix, the elder (1621 — ab. 1665), painted historic pictures, landscapes, and sea pieces. Aldert van Everdingen (1621 — 1675) is celebrated for his views in Norway. He was also an engraver. Nicolaas (or Claas, the shortened form) Pietersz, com- monly called Berchem (1624 — 1683), studied under various Dutch masters, but, it is presumed from his works, formed his style in Italy. He can be studied in the National Gallery, and in the Dulwich College Gallery. Berchem is inferior to Potter in his treatment of animals, but is, per- haps, superior to him in mastery of aerial perspective ; his rendering of the play of light and shade upon foliage, whether at rest or stirred by the breeze, has seldom been excelled. Paulus Potter (1625 — 1654) is generally considered the best animal painter of all time. In the Gallery of the Hague is a work by him which may be said to be unique in its kind ; it is a landscape in which are assembled a young brown bull, a cow, three sheep, and their shepherd, all of life-size. This picture, which he painted at the age of twenty-two, is known by the name of the Young Bull of Paul Potter. In England, the National Gallery has one Landscape by Potter ; and the Duke of Westminster has a fine picture of Cows and Sheep of the year 1647. But he is better represented in the Hermitage, S. Peters- burg, than either in England or in his own country. The