I find it easy to be skeptical of old paintings and in general see them as old fashioned and out-dated. I have many memories of being bored senseless in galleries displaying dozens of antique landscapes like this one, and it is likely that there are hundreds just like it.  Even still, I find this one fascinating. It is almost irrelevant what the subject matter is.  The shapes and composition seem to put the world into focus in such a sublime and simple way.  I suppose, then, that simplicity and directness is what makes this piece so fascinating to me.

http://www.stephenfry.com/dongle/painting1dl.html