The Village of Nieuwersluis on the Vecht

From the Getty Museum record

Drawn in the open air, this sheet depicts the main road to a small village on the River Vecht on the outskirts of Amsterdam. In the foreground, tufts of grass, shrubbery, and a rustic fence frame the path leading to the town nestled by a river. The immediacy of the freely growing vegetation provides an artful contrast to the rigid structures beyond. To the left, a ship sits moored on the banks, its spiny mast reaching upward serves to balance the nearby church spire. Using light washes to atmospheric effect, Rutgers employed broad brushstrokes to describe the sky and a combination of loose pen lines and wash to delineate the small houses and sprays of trees set along the opposing shore. Characteristically, he employed strong diagonals to heighten the sense of perspective, which is furthered by the placement and decreasing scale of the figures as they stroll along the path. The well-dressed man at the fence, who casually rests his hand on a post, provides a charming detail and an enticing entry into the composition. The refined treatment and high degree of finish suggests that this drawing was produced as an autonomous work of art.