Dilapidated Farmhouse with Peasants

Jan van Goyen’s Dilapidated Farmhouse with Peasants depicts a weathered thatched farmhouse built into a sloping embankment, with a group of peasants gathered on a dirt path nearby. A gnarled tree stands to the right and a broad, cloudy sky dominates the upper portion of the composition, creating a restrained, rural mood. The scene is rendered in earthy browns, ochres, and muted greens with fine, even brushwork and a low horizon, characteristic of Dutch landscape painting of the period.