The greatest master of etching and painting combined his observations in his plots and transformed them into sketches. He observed plain landscapes in his homeland in Holland, they were a familiar and favorite type of image of nature. Rembrandt’s genre and natural scenes made a revolution in art, rejecting parade and static.
“Three trees” – the famous landscape engraving conveys the dynamic state of nature. This etching is distinguished by an unusual plot of the artist. It depicts nature in a stormy state during a thunderstorm.
These signs are indicated by a rectilinear hatching, skilfully depicting a downpour, the left side of the sheet has a darker drawing, which conveys a feeling of lack of sun that hid behind the clouds, and thunderstorm clouds curl low. With a tone on the board, the artist draws the impression of steam from the earth. A rich play of light and shadow, the rhythm and smoothness of nature has been transformed into the etching.
The dominant images are three trees that bend in a gust of wind. According to some studies, trees are a grotesque – an interpretation of the three crosses and a symbol of the variability of the world.
The picture shows the towers of the city, it is enlivened by the presence of people and pets. A flock of birds flies away from the thunderstorm. There is a fisherman on the shore, and an artist is located on a hill next to a cart. A couple of lovers hid in dense thickets.
This is the largest landscape etching Rembrandt. He has the finest nuances, rhythm, mobility and variety of strokes.