Aelbert Cuyp - Conclusions

Conclusions

Upon close examination of the works attributed to Aelbert Cuyp it is easily understood why his unique style developed the way it did, and how his works have been misinterpreted over the years. A lacking biography and weak chronology of works as well as his style which emerged out of various influences makes his works distinctive, yet often questionable in determination. Furthermore, his evolving technique and collaborations with his father add to the puzzle over which works should be attributed to Cuyp. Lastly and most importantly, the precision in mimicking Cuyp’s style by his follower Abraham van Calraet and their contentious signatures makes it all the more difficult to determine which paintings are genuinely that of Cuyp and which ones are actually accurate reproductions in his style.

Such a thin chronology and little background knowledge has led to gross misinterpretations of his works, and thus further investigation must always be done to conclude with confidence that Aelbert Cuyp is the genuine source of such great paintings. It is this reluctance which was felt by the Rijksmuseum to reattribute works to other painters (Abraham van Calraet does not even appear in a Museum catalogue until 1926, and even then he is not given his own entry) which shows how important it is to art historians that painters are accurately connected to their works—and this is continuously necessary for those of Aelbert Cuyp, as Dordrecht’s most famous painter may not in fact be Dordrecht’s most famous painter.