Rivierlandschap met toren 1926

Antoon Derkzen van Angeren made this evocative river landscape with a tower, rendered in shades of brown, sometime during his career in the first half of the 20th century. Born in the Netherlands, Van Angeren’s work emerges from a cultural context deeply rooted in landscape painting, yet his approach here feels markedly modern. The painting eschews the overt precision and romanticism of earlier Dutch masters, favoring a more ambiguous, emotionally charged depiction. What strikes me most is the way the indistinct tower and landscape elements seem to emerge from and dissolve back into the dark, brooding earth tones. This creates a dreamlike effect, where the solid structures of civilization seem transient and perhaps even ghostly. The emotional resonance of this piece lies in its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia and the passage of time. It’s as if Van Angeren invites us to contemplate our own place within the landscape, and the histories embedded within it.