The Three Trees, 1643 by Rembrandt

Many of Rembrandt's etchings are of an unbelievable fineness, an infinite number of delicate lines adding up to a fragile image, whether it be the artist himself, a shell, or a spacious and wonderful landscape like The Three Trees. It is easy to see that in such an etching the artist's drawing style has played a great part in its creation. There is a concentration on the immense breadth of the Dutch landscape contrasted with the three very solid trees which dominate the right-hand side.

The Three Trees is Rembrandt's largest and most striking etched landscape. Here he masterfully combined techniques (drypoint, engraving, varied depths of etched lines, and a speckled tone) to create a sense of nature in flux. He animated the landscape with many details: an artist sketching on the hill at right, a fisher couple at lower left, and an amorous couple hidden in the darkened foreground bushes.