A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Known as ‘In the Month of July’ c. 1889

'Can you feel the breeze blowing your eyelashes and the sun on the back of your neck, and hear insects buzzing lazily, maybe a quiet creak of the mill turning?' – Liberty Mai 🌷🦋🌥️ A quaint windmill stands proudly at the centre of A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, also known as In the Month of July. Painted by the Dutch artist Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël (1828-1903) in 1889, this composition captures the serenity of the Dutch rural landscape in the height of summer. Gabriël was born to an artistic family in Amsterdam, and came to be heavily influenced by the painting of the French Barbizon School (1830-1870). The Barbizon artists promoted a sense of realism within landscapes. In A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Gabriël combines this naturalism with a softness of brushwork and colour. He noted in a letter that ‘our land is not grey, even when the weather is grey.’ Gabriël often worked en-plein-air, meaning he painted directly from nature rather than in a studio setting. This allowed him to capture the changing effects of light and skyline. The dappled texture of the sky in this work creates a sense of movement, evoking a gentle breeze as the clouds drift across an expanse of blue. The sky is reflected in the motionless body of water which dominates the foreground of the painting. This stillness acts to further accentuate the tranquillity and peace communicated throughout the painting. The overall atmosphere of A Windmill on a Polder Waterway is serene. Glance at the vanishing point, where the sky meets the land, on the right side of the painting. Gabriël has included a small village nestled into the distant background, suggestive of a harmony between people and nature. A Windmill on a Polder Waterway is a charming image that leaves us optimistically awaiting the return of those long summer days. What are you most looking forward to about summer? 👒 Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham