Jacob van Ruisdael

Years of life:	1628 – 1682
Artist's students:	Meindert Hobbema
Art Movement:	Baroque, Dutch Golden Age
Painting School:	Guild of Saint Luke

Genre:	Landscape
Country:	Netherlands
Century:	XVII

Jacob van Ruisdael was the leading Dutch landscape painter of the second half of the 17th century. He was a very prolific master, and about 700 paintings are attributed to him.

He was notable for his melancholic character. He was nephew to the landscape painter Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1600–70; the different spelling occurs regularly in their signatures); had a second career as a surgeon. His work had a certain set of motifs: mountains, waterfalls, beaches and dunes, seascapes, and winter scenes. Until 1650 he worked on panels but subsequently painted on canvas.

He favors the sky with thunderclouds and birds. He is more naturalistic than his predecessors, in his paintings you can identify the species of trees (he likes rotten trees and broken branches). He prefers massive forms, often uses a low viewpoint, which allows highlighting objects against the sky. His work is painted on dark priming and, as a result, has dark tones.

Jacob van Ruisdael’s major works are Panoramic View of Haarlem, c. 1660s (London: Harold Samuel Collection); The Jewish Cemetery, c. 1660 (Dresden: Gemäldegalerie); Forest Scene, c. 1660–65 (Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art); Oaks by a Lake with Watermills, c. 1665–69 (Berlin: Staatliche Museum).

References:

Robert Cumming. Art: complete encyclopedia. – 512 p. – Moscow: Astrel, 2005.

Artworks:

Tower Mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands

1670

Tower Mill at Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands • 1670
Landscape with Waterfall

1660s

Landscape with Waterfall • 1660s
View of Naarden

1647

View of Naarden • 1647
Oaks at a lake with Water Lilies

1665-1670

Oaks at a lake with Water Lilies • 1665-1670
An Extensive Landscape with Ruins

1665

An Extensive Landscape with Ruins • 1665
A view of Amsterdam

1665-1670

A view of Amsterdam • 1665-1670
View of Haarlem from the Northwest, with the Bleaching Grounds in the Foreground

1682

View of Haarlem from the Northwest, with the Bleaching Grounds in the Foreground • 1682
River landscape with church

1660s

River landscape with church • 1660s
Waterfall at sunset

1660s

Waterfall at sunset • 1660s
Dunes and bleaching fields

1668

Dunes and bleaching fields • 1668
View on the Amstel Looking towards Amsterdam

between 1671 and 1681

View on the Amstel Looking towards Amsterdam • between 1671 and 1681
Wheat Fields

1670

Wheat Fields • 1670
View of the Dam and Damrak at Amsterdam

1675

View of the Dam and Damrak at Amsterdam • 1675
Edge of a Forest with a Grainfield

1656

Edge of a Forest with a Grainfield • 1656
The Banks of a River

1649

The Banks of a River • 1649
Landscape with Shepherds and Peasants

1660s

Landscape with Shepherds and Peasants • 1660s
Landscape with Church and Village

1670

Landscape with Church and Village • 1670
The Kostverloren House on the Amstel

1660-1682

The Kostverloren House on the Amstel • 1660-1682
The Damrak seen to the north

1670-1675

The Damrak seen to the north • 1670-1675
Rocky Landscape

between 1650 and 1682

Rocky Landscape • between 1650 and 1682
Farmhouse in a wooded dune landscape

between 1650 and 1750

Farmhouse in a wooded dune landscape • between 1650 and 1750
The advantage

between 1650 and 1682

The advantage • between 1650 and 1682
Bentheim Castle

between 1650 and 1682

Bentheim Castle • between 1650 and 1682
Chapel by a Waterfall

1650s

Chapel by a Waterfall • 1650s
The Jewish cemetery

1654/1655

The Jewish cemetery • 1654/1655
Landscape with Dune and Small Waterfall

between 1644 and 1682

Landscape with Dune and Small Waterfall • between 1644 and 1682
Norwegian landscape

between 1628 and 1682

Norwegian landscape • between 1628 and 1682
A Marsh in a Forest at Dusk

1660

A Marsh in a Forest at Dusk • 1660
Landscape with Cornfields

Unknown date

Landscape with Cornfields • Unknown date
Storm Clouds over the Sea

Unknown date

Storm Clouds over the Sea • Unknown date
Sloping Field

1650s

Sloping Field • 1650s
Three Great Trees in a Mountainous Landscape with a River

1650s

Three Great Trees in a Mountainous Landscape with a River • 1650s
Two Undershot Watermills with Men Opening a Sluice

1650s

Two Undershot Watermills with Men Opening a Sluice • 1650s
Deer hunting in a forest with a swamp

1670s

Deer hunting in a forest with a swamp • 1670s
Dunes with a herdsman and his herd

1650s

Dunes with a herdsman and his herd • 1650s
View of Grainfields with a Distant Town

1670

View of Grainfields with a Distant Town • 1670
Mountainous Landscape

1670s

Mountainous Landscape • 1670s
Waterfall in Norway

1660s

Waterfall in Norway • 1660s
River Landscape with a Castle on a High Cliff

1670/1679

River Landscape with a Castle on a High Cliff • 1670/1679
Woodland Vistas

1660s

Woodland Vistas • 1660s
Country House in a Park

1675

Country House in a Park • 1675
The Cloister

between 1650 and 1655

The Cloister • between 1650 and 1655
A Panoramic View of Amsterdam looking towards the IJ

between 1665 and 1670

A Panoramic View of Amsterdam looking towards the IJ • between 1665 and 1670
Landscape with a corn field near the sea

1660

Landscape with a corn field near the sea • 1660
Mountain Torrent

1670s

Mountain Torrent • 1670s
Quay at Amsterdam

1670s

Quay at Amsterdam • 1670s
The Forest Stream

1660

The Forest Stream • 1660
Landscape with a Wheatfield

about late 1650s - early 1660s

Landscape with a Wheatfield • about late 1650s - early 1660s
Rolling landscape with an oak before a cornfield

between 1643 and 1682

Rolling landscape with an oak before a cornfield • between 1643 and 1682
A Waterfall in a Rocky Landscape

1660s

A Waterfall in a Rocky Landscape • 1660s
Winter Landscape with a Watermill

1660s

Winter Landscape with a Watermill • 1660s
Winter landscape with windmill and a house in scaffolding

1665

Winter landscape with windmill and a house in scaffolding • 1665
Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem

between 1654 and 1656

Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem • between 1654 and 1656
Rocky Landscape with Castle and Cascade

1670

Rocky Landscape with Castle and Cascade • 1670
Oaks by a torrent

1670

Oaks by a torrent • 1670
The two mills

The two mills
A Path on a Wooded Rise, Haarlem in the Distance

1650s

A Path on a Wooded Rise, Haarlem in the Distance • 1650s
View of the Ruins of Huis ter Kleef and Haarlem

1660s

View of the Ruins of Huis ter Kleef and Haarlem • 1660s
Winter Landscape with a Windmill

1670s

Winter Landscape with a Windmill • 1670s
A Road through an Oak Wood

Undated

A Road through an Oak Wood • Undated
Road through Fields of Corn near the Zuider Zee

between 1660 and 1662

Road through Fields of Corn near the Zuider Zee • between 1660 and 1662
Stormy Sea with Sailing Vessels

1668

Stormy Sea with Sailing Vessels • 1668
Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape with a Dead Beech Tree

1660s

Low Waterfall in a Wooded Landscape with a Dead Beech Tree • 1660s
View of Bentheim Castle

1652-1654

View of Bentheim Castle • 1652-1654