Rembrandt van Rijn
The Three Trees is Rembrandt's largest and most striking etched landscape. 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. Some of the unnatural cloud formations left of center indicate that Rembrandt may have etched The Three Trees on a plate that contained an abandoned sketch for The Death of the Virgin, a composition he continued on a larger plate in 1639.
Rembrandt made more than three hundred etchings—from rough sketches to detailed compositions. He used the etchings to distribute his work internationally. Today's print come from the Rembrandt House’s collection. If you're in Amsterdam, don't forget to visit this museum!
P.S. The Night Watch by Rembrandt is one of the most mysterious masterpieces in art history. Check 15 things you may not know about it here!