Jacob Coning. Work Despite his short career, van de Velde created an extensive body of work of paintings, drawings and prints. His favorite subjects were meadows and Italianate views with herdsmen and cattle. He also painted beaches, dunes, forests, winter scenes, portraits in landscapes, as well as mythological and biblical scenes. Although primarily a painter of summer landscapes, he also depicted winter scenes and beaches. His early work with its tight, precise technique and hard, cool sunlight shows the influence of Paulus Potter. His mature style reveals the influence of Dutch Italianate painters such as Karel Dujardin, Nicolaes Berchem and Jan Asselijn. This is reflected in his handling of the soft sunlight and warm hues in his depictions of the Italian landscape. He prepared his paintings meticulously by making preparatory drawings, many of which have been preserved. These drawings include sketches of landscapes, cattle in meadows and life figure studies. The many nude studies executed in red or black chalk are highlights of his oeuvre. He reused these studies in different compositions. He also was active as an etcher. His earliest known works are a set of six etchings executed in 1653. His twenty-odd etchings depict mostly cattle in landscapes, occasionally with herders. These works were highly prized by collectors in his time. References External links 1636 births 1672 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Dutch Golden Age printmakers Dutch landscape painters Animal artists Painters from Amsterdam Sibling artists