around 1625 -1692 · Utrecht and Italian light

Rocky paths, tiny and distant golden herds make Willem de Heusch a master of the Italianate Dutch landscape.

Willem, or Guilliam, of Heusch was born in Utrecht around 1625 and buried there in 1692. Documents on his youth are rare, but he is considered a student of Jan Both, one of the great introducers of the Italian landscape into painting Dutch. De Heusch probably stayed in Italy around 1645. There he discovered the rocky valleys, the evening light and the tradition of Claude Lorrain, which he adapted to a more intimate sensitivity. Returning to Utrecht, he actively participated in the guild of Saint-Luc and held several management positions. His paintings often present a diagonal path, a group of trees with light foliage, a river, a bridge or a ruin, then an opening towards mountains bathed in gold. Peasants, hunters, horsemen and herds introduce a human scale and circulate the gaze in this ideal space. In Landscape with Peasants Leading a Herd, dated around 1660 -1670, the figures advance in the foreground while the terrain, trees and sky organize a slow depth. The light does not produce a spectacular effect; it unites the plans and gives the daily journey the serenity of an Arcadia. De Heusch often signs a monogram which combines the letters G, D and H, recalling the Italian form of his first name, Guglielmo. Heusch often signs with a monogram which combines the letters G, D and H, recalling the Italian form of his first name, Guglielmo. Heusch often signs with a monogram which combines the letters G, D and H, recalling the Italian form of his first name, Guglielmo. Heusch often signs with a monogram which combines the letters G, D and H, recalling the Italian form of his first name, Guglielmo. Heusch often signs with a monogram which combines the letters G, D and H, recalling the Italian form of his first name, Guglielmo. He also practices drawing and engraving, leaving a dozen etchings landscapes and animals. He trained his nephew Jacob de Heusch and extended the poetic Italianism of the Utrecht school until the end of the century. The "Willem de Heusch" selection notably compares Landscape with peasants leading a herd. His reading favors space.

De Heusch transforms the path into an experience of light: peasant, tree and mountain connect the everyday world to a dream Italy.