Cuyp, Aelbert

Dutch painter. His serene landscapes are bathed in a golden light; for example, A Herdsman with Cows by a River (c. 1650; National Gallery, London). He also painted seascapes and portraits. Both his father, Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp and his uncle Benjamin Gerritsz were painters.

Cuyp was born in Dordrecht, where he spent most of his life, and was probably first taught by his father. His works show the influence of Jan van Goyen's tonal paintings and, above all, Claude Lorrain's luminous Italian landscapes. Cuyp's subjects remained thoroughly Dutch, however, and well-observed cows, standing in the foreground of his paintings, are a hallmark of his work. His career showed little obvious development and he may have painted very little in later life.