Hercules Segers, Dutch, ca. 1590–ca. 1638. The Two Trees (An Alder and an Ash), Ca. 1625-30. Print: Lift-ground etching printed in green, on a light pink ground, colored with brush; unique impression. Sheet: 6 1/8 × 6 3/4 in. (15.5 × 17.2 cm). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; on loan from the City of Amsterdam, collection Michiel Hinloopen (1619–1708), 1885 (inv. no. RP-P-H-OB-848). Cat. HB 33
Somehow (even before I got to this exhibition) I knew that “The Mysterious Landscapes of Hercules Segers,” on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (through May 21), would feature work that had been prized by the surrealists in the years between the two world wars, and by Max Ernst in particular (himself no mean creator of mysterious landscapes). Read More