Vista from a Grotto

David Teniers the Younger

National Gallery of Art

The round, cavernous entryway of a craggy grotto that opens onto vivid blue water nearly fills this square landscape painting. Close to us, steep, tan-colored and earthy brown rocks rise like cliffs to each side. A wood cross set on a low rocky outcrop lists to one side in the lower left corner of the composition. A few tufts of grass or reedy plants are interspersed along the winding path of the turquoise-colored water inside the grotto, and more spindly plants grow up from or out of the rocky surfaces. The waterway zigzags between us and the body of water just beyond the opening. White highlights suggest white caps or surging waves. A band of opal-white mountains follow the curve of the grotto opening to angles up to the right. They nearly blend into the pearly white sky and the screen of clouds there. Black and white birds fly in the distance. One is near the water on the far side of the grotto opening, and one is higher and farther back. At least seven are tiny in the deep distance.