Jan van Goyen (born January 13, 1596 in Leiden, died April 27, 1656 in The Hague) is a significant Dutch landscape painter who worked in the 17th century.

Along with Salomon van Ruisdael and Pieter de Moleyn, he is considered one of the founders of the tonal landscape, which emerged in the last decades of the 17th century. Goyen’s paintings are characterized by bold diagonal lines of perspective leading to the horizon, restraint in the use of colors – the monochrome range of his later works is especially noticeable – and the texture of the ground showing through the paint, which gives them a special depth and appeal.

Jan van Goyen was born into a family of shoemakers. He received his first painting lessons at the age of 10. Over the course of two years, he changed four painting teachers. Goyen continued his education in Hoorn with the master of landscape painting Willem Gerritsz. After a trip to France, Goyen studied for a year with Esaias van de Velde. In 1618, Goyen married Annetje van Ralst in Leiden and opened his own workshop.

In addition to painting and selling his own works, Goyen was involved in the appraisal of works of art and traded them, as well as real estate, land plots, and participated in the tulip rush, but did not achieve outstanding material success.

In 1632, Goyen moved with his family to The Hague, where he lived until the end of his life, continuing his unsuccessful attempts to succeed in the field of entrepreneurship. By 1656, his debts reached 18 thousand guilders. As is known, economic failures and debts did not affect the artist’s creative mood.