The Three Trees

The Three Trees
Artist Rembrandt
Year 1643
Medium Etching
Location Towner Art Gallery
Dimensions 27.4 x 20.5 cm
8 3/8 x 11 1/8 in
Rembrandt Famous Paintings
The Night Watch
The Return of the Prodigal Son
Self-Portrait
The Jewish Bride
Danaƫ
The Mill
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
The Blinding of Samson
The Three Trees

The Three Trees is an etching by the Dutch painter Rembrandt, and was produced in 1643. Often considered his most accomplished artwork in this style, it depicts three trees against a background of a highly varied sky. The work, which has been interpreted by some authorities as representing the Three Crosses, is currently owned by the British Museum in London.

Art Details

The most notable artistic feature of The Three Trees is that, unlike most of Rembrandt’s other landscapes, this etching is composed in a highly formal fashion.

The trees which give the work its name are shown not as isolated objects as an integral part of the natural landscape, affected by both wind and sun. The lighting effects in the work are particularly varied, thanks to the dynamic background with its fast-moving clouds.

The elaborately constructed scene contains a great deal of activity, ranging from people working in the field to an artist sketching on a hill.