5. ‘Landscape with Obelisk’ by Govaert Flinck

the painting shows a dark and stormy day with a streak of sunlight. In the background there is a large obelisk.

c. 1638. While this landscape looks like a Rembrandt, but it's by Govaert Flinck. The obelisk is the focus of the painting, but it appears much smaller than the tree in the foreground. The obelisk seems to represent something. Or why else would it be in the middle of this mostly empty landscape? But, unfortunately, we do not know the answer.