Aernout Smit

Aernout Smit Navy with sailing ships Oil on canvas (relined). 80 x 107 cm. Signed center left: A Smit. Provenance Italian private collection. This representative coastal piece is entirely in the tradition of Dutch marine painting, which was appreciated far beyond the country's borders in the 17th and 18th centuries. The large format was painted by the famous marine painter Aernout Smit, who took part in the naval war against England as a reporter in 1665/66. The teachings of Ludolf Backhuysen are reflected in Smit's paintings, in which the narrative of imperial Dutch colonial and naval history is captured visually. The tranquil-looking piece of coastline shows almost static-looking ships in effective evening light. Staffage figures stand on the narrow strip of land, actively participating in the scene or - like the figure in the foreground on the left - acting as a repoussoir and making it easier for viewers to empathize with the events depicted.