Hilly landscape 1635

Pieter Stalpaert rendered this landscape, probably in the early 17th century, using oil on a support measuring 66.5 by 114.8 centimeters. The composition divides into distinct horizontal layers. The foreground is dominated by earth tones, leading to a middle ground where verdant trees and fields play against a muted sky. This arrangement creates a sense of depth that invites the eye to wander. Stalpaert's handling of light and shadow is particularly striking; the way he models the clouds and foliage gives the scene a dynamic, almost theatrical quality. This is not a mere replication of nature. Instead, the artist interprets the landscape. The structuralist might see this not just as a landscape but as a constructed space where nature is coded through artistic conventions. The trees, fields, and sky are signs that, when pieced together, create the idea of "landscape." Note how Stalpaert uses formal elements not just to represent but to suggest the order and meaning we ascribe to the natural world.