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Jacob van Ruisdael

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In this article, thesurnameisvan Ruisdael.

Jacob van Ruisdael
painting of a windmill, river and large sky
Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede(c.1670)
Born
Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael

1628 or 1629
Haarlem,Dutch Republic
Died(1682-03-10)10 March 1682
Amsterdam,Dutch Republic
Known forLandscape painting
Notable workThe Jewish Cemetery,Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede,View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields,The Ray of Light,A Wooded Marsh
MovementDutch Golden Age
Patron(s)Cornelis de Graeff(1599–1664)

Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael(Dutch pronunciation:[ˈjaːkɔpfɑnˈrœyzˌdaːl]ⓘ;c.1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter,draughtsman,andetcher.He is generally considered the pre-eminentlandscape painterof theDutch Golden Age,a period of great wealth and cultural achievement whenDutch paintingbecame highly popular.

Prolific and versatile, Ruisdael depicted a wide variety of landscape subjects. From 1646 he painted Dutch countryside scenes of remarkable quality for a young man. After a trip toGermanyin 1650, his landscapes took on a more heroic character. In his late work, conducted when he lived and worked inAmsterdam,he added city panoramas and seascapes to his regular repertoire. In these, the sky often took up two-thirds of the canvas. In total he produced more than 150Scandinavianviews featuring waterfalls.

Ruisdael's only registered pupil wasMeindert Hobbema,one of several artists who painted figures in his landscapes. Hobbema's work has at times been confused with Ruisdael's. Ruisdael always spelt his name thus: Ruisdael, not Ruysdael.

Ruisdael's work was in demand in theDutch Republicduring his lifetime. Today it is spread across private and institutional collections around the world; theNational Galleryin London, theRijksmuseumin Amsterdam, and theHermitage Museumin St. Petersburg hold the largest collections. Ruisdael shaped landscape painting traditions worldwide, from the EnglishRomanticsto theBarbizon schoolin France, and theHudson River Schoolin the US, and influenced generations of Dutch landscape artists.

Life

[edit]
Jacob's uncle's painting of the same town from same angle
A View ofEgmond aan Zee(1640) bySalomon van Ruysdael
painting of a seaside town
A View of Egmond aan Zee(c.1650) by Jacob van Ruisdael

Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael was born inHaarlemin 1628 or 1629[A]into a family of painters, all landscapists. The number of painters in the family, and the multiple spellings of the Van Ruisdael name, have hampered attempts to document his life and attribute his works.[2]The name Ruisdael is connected to a castle, now lost, in the village ofBlaricum.The village was the home of Jacob's grandfather, the furniture maker Jacob de Goyer. When De Goyer moved away toNaarden,three of his sons changed their name to Van Ruysdael or Van Ruisdael, probably to indicate their origin.[B]Two of De Goyer's sons became painters: Jacob's fatherIsaack van Ruisdaeland his well-known uncleSalomon van Ruysdael.[C]Jacob himself always spelled his name with an "i",[8]while his cousin, Salomon's sonJacob Salomonszoon van Ruysdael,also a landscape artist, spelled his name with a "y".[9]Jacob's earliest biographer,Arnold Houbraken,called him Jakob Ruisdaal.[10]

It is not known whether Ruisdael's mother was Isaack van Ruisdael's first wife, whose name is unknown, or his second wife, Maycken Cornelisdochter. Isaack and Maycken married on 12 November 1628.[11][12][D]

Ruisdael's teacher is also unknown.[14]It is often assumed Ruisdael studied with his father and uncle, but there is no evidence for this.[15]He appears to have been strongly influenced by other contemporary local Haarlem landscapists, most notablyCornelis VroomandAllart van Everdingen.[16]

The earliest date that appears on a Ruisdael painting andetchingis 1646.[17][E]Two years after this date he was admitted to membership of theHaarlem Guild of St. Luke.[11]By this time landscape paintings were as popular as history paintings in Dutch households, though at the time of Ruisdael's birth, history paintings appeared far more frequently. This growth in popularity of landscapes continued throughout Ruisdael's career.[19][F]

Around 1657, Ruisdael moved toAmsterdam,by then a prosperous city which was likely to have offered a bigger market for his work. His fellow Haarlem painter Allaert van Everdingen had already moved to Amsterdam and found a market there. On 17 June 1657 he was baptized inAnkeveen,near Naarden.[21]Ruisdael lived and worked in Amsterdam for the rest of his life.[22]In 1668, his name appears as a witness to the marriage ofMeindert Hobbema,his only registered pupil, a painter whose works have, by some, been confused with Ruisdael's own.[22][23][24][25]

For a landscape artist, it seems Ruisdael travelled relatively little: to Blaricum,Egmond aan Zee,andRhenenin the 1640s, withNicolaes BerchemtoBentheimandSteinfurtjust across the border in Germany in 1650,[14]and possibly with Hobbema across the German border again in 1661, viathe Veluwe,DeventerandOotmarsum.[26]Despite Ruisdael's numerous Norwegian landscapes, there is no record of him having travelled to Scandinavia.[27]

painting of landscape with castle in background
A View ofBentheim Castle(1650s) by Jacob van Ruisdael
Nicolaes Berchem's painting of same landscape with castle
A View of Burg Bentheim(c.1656)Nicolaas Berchem

There is some speculation that Ruisdael was also a doctor. In 1718, his biographer Houbraken reports that he studied medicine and performed surgery in Amsterdam.[10]Archival records of the 17th century show the name "Jacobus Ruijsdael" on a list of Amsterdam doctors, albeit crossed out, with the added remark that he earned his medical degree on 15 October 1676 inCaen,northern France.[28]Various art historians have speculated that this was, in all probability, a case of mistaken identity. Pieter Scheltema suggests it was Ruisdael's cousin who appeared on the record.[29]The Ruisdael expertSeymour Sliveargues that the spelling "uij" is not consistent with Ruisdael's own spelling of his name, that his unusually high production suggests there was little time to study medicine, and that there is no indication in any of his art that he visited northern France. The evidence is inconclusive.

Ruisdael was notJewish.Slive reports that, because of Ruisdael's depiction of a Jewish cemetery and various biblical names in the Ruisdael family, he often heard speculation that Ruisdael must surely be Jewish.[30]The evidence shows otherwise.[30]Ruisdael was buried in theSaint Bavo's Church, Haarlem,aProtestantchurch at that time.[31][32]His uncle Salomon van Ruysdael belonged to theYoung Flemishsubgroup of theMennonitecongregation, one of several types ofAnabaptistsin Haarlem, and it is probable that Ruisdael's father was also a member there.[33]His cousin Jacob was a registered Mennonite in Amsterdam.[34]

Ruisdael did not marry. According to Houbraken, whose short biography does contain a few errors,[35]this was "to reserve time to serve his old father".[36]No likeness of Ruisdael is known to exist[8][G]

The art historian Hendrik Frederik Wijnman disproved the myth that Ruisdael died a poor man, supposedly in the old men's almshouse in Haarlem. Wijnman showed that the person who died there was in fact Ruisdael's cousin, Jacob Salomonszoon.[40]Although there is no record of Ruisdael owning land or shares, he appears to have lived comfortably, even after the economic downturn of thedisaster year 1672.[41][H]His paintings were valued fairly highly. In a large sample of inventories between 1650 and 1679 the average price for a Ruisdael was 40 guilders, compared to an average of 19 guilders for all attributed paintings.[42]In a ranking of contemporary Dutch painters based on price-weighted frequency in these inventories, Ruisdael ranks seventh;Rembrandtranks first.[43]

Ruisdael died in Amsterdam on 10 March 1682. He was buried 14 March 1682 in Saint Bavo's Church, Haarlem.[44]

Work

[edit]
Main article:List of paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael

Early years

[edit]
painting of dune landscape
Dune Landscape(1646)

Ruisdael's work from c. 1646 to the early 1650s, when he was living in Haarlem, is characterised by simple motifs and careful and laborious study of nature: dunes, woods, and atmospheric effects. By applying heavier paint than his predecessors, Ruisdael gave his foliage a rich quality, conveying a sense of sap flowing through branches and leaves.[45]His accurate rendering of trees was unprecedented at the time: the genera of his trees are the first to be unequivocally recognisable by modern-day botanists.[46]His early sketches introduce motifs that would return in all his work: a sense of spaciousness and luminosity, and an airy atmosphere achieved throughpointillist-like touches of chalk.[47]Most of his thirty black chalk sketches that survive date from this period.[48][49]

An exemplar of Ruisdael's early style isDune Landscape,one of the earliest works, dated 1646. It breaks with the classic Dutch tradition of depicting broad views of dunes that include houses and trees flanked by distant vistas. Instead, Ruisdael places tree-covered dunes prominently at centre stage, with a cloudscape concentrating strong light on a sandy path.[47]The resulting heroic effect is enhanced by the large size of the canvas, "so unexpected in the work of an inexperienced painter" according to Irina Sokolova, curator at theHermitage Museum.[50]The art historianHofstede de Grootsaid ofDune Landscape:"It is hardly credible that it should be the work of a boy of seventeen".[51]

painting of a city in the distance under a big sky
View of Naarden with the Church at Muiderberg in the Distance(1647)

Ruisdael's first panoramic landscape,View of Naarden with the Church at Muiderberg in the Distance,dates from 1647. The theme of an overwhelming sky and a distant town, in this case the birthplace of his father, is one he returned to in his later years.[47]

For unknown reasons, Ruisdael almost entirely stopped dating his work from 1653. Only five works from the 1660s have a, partially obscured, year next to his signature; none from the 1670s and 1680s have a date.[52]Dating subsequent work has therefore been largely based on detective work and speculation.[9]

All thirteen known Ruisdael etchings come from his early period, with the first one dated 1646. It is unknown who taught him the art of etching. No etchings exist signed by his father, his uncle, or his fellow Haarlem landscapist Cornelis Vroom, who influenced his other work. His etchings show little influence from Rembrandt, either in style or technique. Few original impressions exist; five etchings survive in only a single impression. The rarity of prints suggests that Ruisdael considered them trial essays, which did not warrant large editions.[53]The etching expertGeorges Duplessissingled outGrainfield at the Edge of a WoodandThe Travellersas unrivalled illustrations of Ruisdael's genius.[54]

Middle period

[edit]
dark painting of ruins and tombs
The Jewish Cemetery(c.1654–55)

Following Ruisdael's trip to Germany, his landscapes took on a more heroic character, with forms becoming larger and more prominent.[55]A view ofBentheim Castle,dated 1653, is just one of a dozen of Ruisdael's depictions of a particular castle in Germany, almost all of which pronounce its position on a hilltop. Significantly, Ruisdael made numerous changes to the castle's setting (it is actually on an unimposing low hill) culminating in a 1653 version which shows it on a wooded mountain.[56]These variations are rightly considered by art historians to be evidence of Ruisdael's compositional skills.[57][I]

On his trip to Germany, Ruisdael encountered water mills which he turned into a principal subject for painting, the first artist to ever do so.[59]Two Water Mills with an Open Sluice,dated 1653, is a prime example.[60]The ruins of Egmont Castle near Alkmaar were another favourite subject of Ruisdael's[61]and feature inThe Jewish Cemetery,of which he painted two versions.[62]With these, Ruisdael pits the natural world against the built environment, which has been overrun by the trees and shrubs surrounding the cemetery.[63]

Ruisdael's first Scandinavian views contain big firs, rugged mountains, large boulders and rushing torrents.[64]Though convincingly realistic, they are based on previous art works, rather than on direct experience. There is no record that Ruisdael made any trip to Scandinavia, although fellow Haarlem painter Allart van Everdingen had travelled there in 1644 and had popularised the subgenre.[65]Ruisdael's work soon outstripped van Everdingen's finest efforts.[66]In total Ruisdael produced more than 150 Scandinavian views featuring waterfalls,[27]of whichWaterfall in a Mountainous Landscape with a Ruined Castle,c.1665–1670, is seen as his greatest by Slive.[67]

In this period Ruisdael started painting coastal scenes and sea-pieces, influenced bySimon de VliegerandJan Porcellis.[68]Among the most dramatic isRough Sea at a Jetty,with a restricted palette of only black, white, blue and a few brown earth colours.[67]However, forest scenes remain a subject of choice, such as the Hermitage's most famous Ruisdael,A Wooded Marsh,datedc.1665, which depicts a primieval scene with broken birches and oaks, and branches reaching for the sky amidst an overgrown pond.[69]

Later years

[edit]

During Ruisdael's last period he began to depict mountain scenes, such asMountainous and Wooded Landscape with a River,dateable to the late 1670s. This portrays a rugged range with the highest peak in the clouds.[70]Ruisdael's subjects became unusually varied. The art historianWolfgang Stechowidentified thirteen themes within the Dutch Golden Age landscape genre, and Ruisdael's work encompasses all but two of them, excelling at most: forests, rivers, dunes and country roads, panoramas, imaginary landscapes, Scandinavian waterfalls, marines, beachscapes, winter scenes, town views, and nocturnes. Only theItalianateand foreign landscapes other than Scandinavian are absent from his oeuvre.[71][72]

The imaginary landscapes of gardens that Ruisdael painted in the 1670s actually reflect an ongoing discourse on thePicturesquein circles of gardening aesthetes likeConstantijn Huygens.[73]

painting of a town in the distance and fields under a big sky
View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields(c.1665)

Slive finds it appropriate that a windmill is the subject of one of Ruisdael's most famous works.Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede,dated 1670, showsWijk bij Duurstede,a riverside town about 20 kilometres (12 mi) fromUtrecht,with a dominant cylindrical windmill.[70]In this composition, Ruisdael united typical Dutch elements of low-lying land, water and expansive sky, so that they converge on the equally characteristic Dutch windmill.[74]The painting's enduring popularity is evidenced by card sales in theRijksmuseum,with theWindmillranking third after Rembrandt'sNight WatchandVermeer'sView of Delft.[9]Windmills featured throughout Ruisdael's entire career.[75]

Various panoramic views of the Haarlem skyline and its bleaching grounds appear during this stage, a specific genre calledHaerlempjes,[22]with the clouds creating various gradations of alternating bands of light and shadow towards the horizon. The paintings are often dominated by Saint Bavo's Church, in which Ruisdael would one day be buried.[70]

While Amsterdam does feature in his work, it does so relatively rarely given that Ruisdael lived there for over 25 years. It does feature in his only known architectural subject, a drawing of the interior of theOld Church,[76]as well as in views of the Dam, and thePanoramic view of the Amstel looking toward Amsterdam,one of Ruisdael's last paintings.[77][78]

Figures are introduced sparingly into Ruisdael's compositions, and are by this period rarely from his own hand[J]but executed by various artists, including his pupil Meindert Hobbema, Nicolaes Berchem,Adriaen van de Velde,Philips Wouwerman,Jan Vonck,Thomas de Keyser,Gerard van BattumandJan Lingelbach.[26][82]

Attributions

[edit]
signature on a painting reading J v Ruisdael
Signature onLandscape with Waterfallin the 1660s

In his 2001 catalogue raisonné, Slive attributes 694 paintings to Ruisdael and lists another 163 paintings with dubious or, he believes, incorrect attribution.[83]There are three main reasons why there is uncertainty over whose hand painted various Ruisdael-style landscapes. Firstly, four members of the Ruysdael family were landscapists with similar signatures, some of which were later fraudulently altered into Jacob's.[84]This is further complicated by the fact that Ruisdael used variations of his signature. This typically reads "JvRuisdael" or themonogram"JVR",[26][85]sometimes using a small italic 's' and sometimes a Gothic long 's', such as onLandscape with Waterfall.[86]Secondly, many 17th-century landscape paintings are unsigned and could be from pupils or copyists.[87]Finally, fraudsters imitated Ruisdaels for financial gain, with the earliest case reported by Houbraken in 1718: a certain Jan Griffier the Elder could imitate Ruisdael's style so well that he often passed them off as genuine Ruisdaels, especially with figurines added in the style of the artist Wouwerman.[82]There is no large-scale systematic approach to ascertaining Ruisdael's attributions, unlike the forensic science used to find the correct attributions of Rembrandt's paintings through theRembrandt Research Project.[88]

Legacy

[edit]
painting of windmills
Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem(1651) by Jacob van Ruisdael
similar painting with windmills
Landscape with Windmills near Haarlem(1830) byJohn Constable

Ruisdael has shaped landscape painting traditions from the EnglishRomanticsto theBarbizon schoolin France, and theHudson River Schoolin the US, as well as generations of Dutch landscape artists.[89]Among the English artists influenced by Ruisdael areThomas Gainsborough,J. M. W. Turner,andJohn Constable.Gainsborough drew, in black chalk and grey wash, a copy of a Ruisdael in the 1740s—now both paintings are housed in theLouvrein Paris.[90]Turner made many copies of Ruisdaels and even painted fantasy views of a nonexistent port he calledPort Ruysdael.[91]Constable also copied various drawings, etchings and paintings by Ruisdael, and was a great admirer from a young age.[92]"It haunts my mind and clings to my heart", he wrote after seeing a Ruisdael.[93]However, he thoughtJewish Cemeterywas a failure, because he considered that it attempted to convey something outside the reach of art.[62]

In the 19th century,Vincent van Goghacknowledged Ruisdael as a major influence, calling him sublime, but at the same time saying it would be a mistake to try to copy him.[94]Van Gogh had two Ruisdael prints,The Bushand aHaerlempje,on his wall,[95]and thought the Ruisdaels in the Louvre were "magnificent, especiallyThe Bush,The BreakwaterandThe Ray of Light".[96]His experience of the French countryside was informed by his memory of Ruisdael's art.[97]Van Gogh's contemporaryClaude Monetis also said to be indebted to Ruisdael.[98]Similarly,Piet Mondrian's early abstract compositions the eventually led to the founding ofDe Stijlhave been traced back to Ruisdael's panoramas.[98]

Among art historians and critics, Ruisdael's reputation has had its ups and downs over the centuries. The first account, in 1718, is from Houbraken, who waxed lyrical over the technical mastery which allowed Ruisdael to realistically depict falling water and the sea.[36]In 1781, SirJoshua Reynolds,founder of theRoyal Academy,admired the freshness and force of Ruisdael's landscapes.[99]A couple of decades later other English critics were less impressed. In 1801,Henry Fuseli,professor at the Royal Academy, expressed his contempt for the entire Dutch School of Landscape, dismissing it as no more than a "transcript of the spot", a mere "enumeration of hill and dale, clumps of trees".[100]Of note is that one of Fuseli's students was Constable, whose admiration for Ruisdael remained unchanged.[92]Around the same time in Germany, the writer, statesman and scientistJohann Wolfgang von Goethelauded Ruisdael as a thinking artist, even a poet,[101]saying "he demonstrates remarkable skill in locating the exact point at which the creative faculty comes into contact with a lucid mind".[102]John Ruskinhowever, in 1860, raged against Ruisdael and other Dutch Golden Age landscapists, calling their landscapes places where "we lose not only all faith in religion but all remembrance of it".[103]In 1915, the Dutch art historianAbraham Brediuscalled his compatriot not so much a painter as a poet.[104]

More recent art historians have rated Ruisdael highly.Kenneth Clarkdescribed him as "the greatest master of the natural vision before Constable".[105]Waldemar Januszczakfinds him a marvellous storyteller. Januszczak does not consider Ruisdael the greatest landscape artist of all time, but is especially impressed by his works as a teenager: "a prodigy whom we should rank at number 8 or 9 on the Mozart scale".[98]Slive states Ruisdael is acknowledged "by general consent, as the pre-eminent landscapist of the Golden Age of Dutch art".[45]

"Ruisdael really doesn't deserve to be underrated...[H]e was a prodigy whom we should rank at number 8 or 9 on the Mozart scale."

—The Guardianart criticWaldemar Januszczak[98]

Ruisdael is now seen as the leading artist of the "classical" phase in Dutch landscape art, which built upon the realism of the previous "tonal" phase. The tonal phase suggested atmosphere through the use of tonality, while the classical phase strived for a more grandiose effect, with paintings built up through a series of vigorous contrasts of solid form against the sky, and of light against shade, with a tree, animal, or windmill often singled out.[106]

Although many of Ruisdael's works were on show in theArt Treasures Exhibition, Manchester 1857,and various other grand exhibitions across the world since, it was not until 1981 that an exhibition was solely dedicated to him. Over fifty paintings and thirty-five drawings and etchings were exhibited, first at theMauritshuisinThe Hague,then, in 1982, at theFogg MuseuminCambridge, Massachusetts.[90][107]In 2006, the Royal Academy in London hosted a RuisdaelMaster of Landscapeexhibition, displaying works from over fifty collections.[108][109]

Interpretation

[edit]
painting of waterfall with dead trees and a castle in the distance
Waterfall in a Mountainous Landscape with a Ruined Castle(c.1665–1670)

There are no 17th-century documents to indicate, either at first or second hand, what Ruisdael intended to convey through his art.[8]WhileThe Jewish Cemeteryis universally accepted as an allegory for the fragility of life,[62][110][111][112]how other works should be interpreted is much disputed. At one end of the spectrum is Henry Fuseli, who contends they have no meaning at all, and are simply a depiction of nature.[100]At the other end isFranz Theodor Kuglerwho sees meaning in almost everything: "They all display the silent power of Nature, who opposes with her mighty hand the petty activity of man, and with a solemn warning as it were, repels his encroachments".[113]

In the middle of the spectrum are scholars such as E. John Walford, who sees the works as "not so much bearers of narrative or emblematic meanings but rather as images reflecting the fact that the visible world was essentially perceived as manifesting inherent spiritual significance".[114]Walford advocates abandoning the notion of "disguised symbolism".[115]Perhaps Ruisdael's work can be interpreted according to the religious world view of his time: nature serves as the "first book" of God, both because of its inherent divine qualities and because of God's obvious concern for man and the world. The intention is spiritual, not moral.[116]

Andrew Graham-Dixonfancifully asserts all Dutch Golden Age landscapists could not help but search everywhere for meaning. He says of the windmill inThe Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstedethat it symbolises "the sheer hard work needed to keep Holland above water and to safeguard the future of the nation's children". The symmetries in the landscapes are "reminders to fellow citizens always to remain on the straight and narrow".[117]Slive, sensible scholar that he is, is more reluctant to read too much into the work, but does putThe Windmillin its contemporary religious context of man's dependence on the "spirit of the Lord for life".[118]With regards to interpreting Ruisdael's Scandinavian paintings, he says "My own view is that it strains credulity to the breaking point to propose that he himself conceived of all his depictions of waterfalls, torrents and rushing streams and dead trees as visual sermons on the themes of transcience and vanitas".[64]

Collections

[edit]
painting of sea, dunes and sky
Dunes by the Sea(1648)

Ruisdaels are scattered across collections globally, both private and institutional. The most notable collections are at theNational Galleryin London, which holds twenty paintings;[119]theRijksmuseumin Amsterdam, which holds sixteen paintings;[120]the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, which holds nine,[121]and theThyssen-Bornemisza Museumin Madrid, Spain has four (and two additional paintings attributed to Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael).[122]In the US, theMetropolitan Museum of Artin New York has five Ruisdaels in its collection,[123]and theJ. Paul Getty Museumin California has three.[124]

On occasion a Ruisdael changes hands. In 2014,Dunes by the Seawas auctioned atChristie'sin New York, and realised a price of $1,805,000.[125]Of his surviving drawings, 140 in total,[126]the Rijksmuseum,[127]theTeylers Museumin Haarlem,[128]Dresden's Kupferstich-Kabinett,[15]and the Hermitage each hold significant collections.[129]Ruisdael's rare etchings are spread across institutions. No collection holds a print of each of the thirteen etchings. Of the five unique prints, the British Museum holds two, two are in theAlbertinain Vienna, and one is in Amsterdam.[130]

Context

[edit]
painting of watermill in winter landscape
Winter Landscape with a Watermill(c.1660s)

According to some, Ruisdael and his art should not be considered apart from the context of the incredible wealth and significant changes to the land that occurred during theDutch Golden Age.In his study on 17th-century Dutch art and culture,Simon Schamaremarks that "it can never be overemphasized that the period between 1550 and 1650, when the political identity of an independent Netherlands nation was being established, was also a time of dramatic physical alteration of its landscape".[131]Ruisdael's depiction of nature and emergent Dutch technology are wrapped up in this.[131]Christopher Joby places Ruisdael in the religious context of theCalvinismof the Dutch Republic. He states that landscape painting does conform to Calvin's requirement that only what is visible may be depicted in art, and that landscape paintings such as those of Ruisdael have anepistemologicalvalue which provides further support for their use within Reformed Churches.[132]

The art historian Yuri Kuznetsov places Ruisdael's art in the context of thewar of independence against Spain.Dutch landscape painters "were called upon to make a portrait of their homeland, twice rewon by the Dutch people – first from the sea and later from foreign invaders".[133]Jonathan Israel, in his study of the Dutch Republic, calls the period between 1647 and 1672 the third phase of Dutch Golden Age art, in which wealthy merchants wanted large, opulent and refined paintings, and civic leaders filled their town halls with grand displays containing republican messages.[134]

As well, ordinary middle class Dutch people began buying art for the first time, creating a high demand for paintings of all kinds.[135]This demand was met by enormous painter guilds.[136][K]Master painters set up studios to produce large numbers of paintings quickly.[L]Under the master's direction, studio members would specialise in parts of a painting, such as figures in landscapes, or costumes in portraits and history paintings.[141][M]Masters would sometimes add a few touches to authenticate a work mostly done by pupils, to maximise both speed and price.[142]Numerous art dealers organised commissions on behalf of patrons, as well as buying uncommissioned stock to sell on.[143]Landscape artists did not depend on commissions in the way most painters had to do,[144]and could therefore paint for stock. In Ruisdael's case, it is not known whether he kept stock to sell directly to customers, or sold his work through dealers, or both.[145]Art historians only know of one commission,[N]a work for the wealthy AmsterdamburgomasterCornelis de Graeff,jointly painted with Thomas de Keyser.[145][O]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^This is inferred from a document dated 9 June 1661 in which Ruisdael states he is aged 32 years old.[1]
  2. ^While in modern Dutch the "uy" spelling is only preserved in names and the "ui" is dominant, before modern spelling regulations the "uy" was spelled interchangeably with "uij", with "ij" in combination just being another way to represent "y", and "ui" being shorthand for "uij".[3]The long list of common spellings of the Ruisdael name over the centuries includes "uy", "uij", and "ui".[4]
  3. ^Unlike his other family members, his uncle Salomon is well-known today and has works on display in, for instance, the National Gallery in London and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.[5][6][7]
  4. ^To add to the name confusion, Jacob's aunt, wife of Salomon, also was called Maycken.[13]
  5. ^It was unusual that signed and dated works of an artist were created before matriculation in a guild.[18]
  6. ^Though most popular, landscape painting was still not seen as the pinnacle of painting. In his 1678 treatise on painting, painter-writerSamuel van Hoogstratenreserved top spot in thehierarchy of genresfor history painting.[20]
  7. ^The Dutch coffee and tea company De Zuid-Hollandsche Koffie- en Theehandel published picture books in the 1920s with portraits of famous figures from Dutch history and the 1926 edition showed a portrait of "Jacob Isaaksz. Ruisdael" (sic).[37]It is not known where the coffee and tea company got the image from. Two 19th-century sculptures, one on the outside wall of theHamburger Kunsthallebuilt in 1863,[38]and one inside the Louvre made by Louis-Denis Caillouette in 1822,[39]are also not traceable back to a source.
  8. ^Tax records show Ruisdael paid 10 guilders for the 0.5% wealth tax in 1674, indicating his net worth was 2,000 guilders.[41]
  9. ^Other evidence of his compositional skills includes the botanically accurate representation of the shrubViburnum lantanaon the 1653Bentheim Castlepainting, for which there is no evidence of ever have been present in this area.[58]
  10. ^It is assumed that in his early years Ruisdael painted thestaffagehimself.[50]Landscape with a Cottage and Treesof 1646 is one such example.[79]The figures in most of his panoramic views are also of his own hand.[80]Art historian Robert Watson writes that the odd tendency to hire each other to paint small figures in landscapes suggests a taboo guarding the barrier between the human and the natural.[81]
  11. ^Based on records of membership of the Guild of Saint Luke, it is estimated there was one painter for every 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants, compared to every 10,000 in Renaissance Italy.[137]A total of five million paintings were produced in the Dutch Republic in the 17th century.[136]Slive says there were hundreds of landscapists during Ruisdael's time.[138]
  12. ^Studios already existed before Ruisdael was born.[139]Painters from the tonal phase had also developed efficient techniques such as wet-into-wet paint, but this was not used by the classical phase painters, who strived for a high level of realism.[140]
  13. ^It is not certain if Ruisdael had more pupils other than Hobbema in his studio, but at least four other artists have been identified as having provided staffage for his landscapes.[26]
  14. ^Art historian Scheyer suggests that it possible that one of theJewish Cemeteryversions was commissioned by the family of Eliahu Montalto, whose tomb is on the painting.[146]Slive does not hold this for impossible.[147]
  15. ^This work,The Arrival of Cornelis de Graeff and Members of His Family at Soestdijk, His Country Estate(c.1660), is unusual in Ruisdael's oeuvre for another reason. It is also the only one in which his landscape is the background to the work of another artist.[148]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 19.
  2. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 17–21.
  3. ^Reenen & Wijnands 1993,p. 389–419.
  4. ^"Union list of artist names".J. Paul Getty Trust.Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2015.Retrieved1 January2016.
  5. ^Scott 2015,p. 104.
  6. ^"Salomon van Ruysdael".National Gallery.Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2016.Retrieved3 January2016.
  7. ^"River Landscape with Ferry".National Gallery of Art.Archived fromthe originalon 21 December 2015.Retrieved3 January2016.
  8. ^abcSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 17.
  9. ^abcSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 21.
  10. ^abHoubraken 1718,p. 65.
  11. ^abSlive 2011,p. xi.
  12. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 18.
  13. ^Liedtke 2007,p. 801.
  14. ^abKuznetsov 1983,p. 4.
  15. ^abSlive 2005,p. 2.
  16. ^Slive 2005,p. 3.
  17. ^Slive 2001,p. 5.
  18. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 20.
  19. ^Jager 2015,p. 9.
  20. ^Golan 1997,p. 369.
  21. ^Hinrichs 2014,pp. 22–25.
  22. ^abcSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 22.
  23. ^Slive 2011,p. xii.
  24. ^Liedtke 2007,p. 788.
  25. ^Slive 2001,p. x.
  26. ^abcd"Jacob van Ruisdael in the RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History)".Netherlands Institute for Art History.Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved1 January2016.
  27. ^abSlive 2001,p. 153.
  28. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 19–20.
  29. ^Scheltema 1872,p. 105.
  30. ^abWecker, Menachem (21 October 2005)."Jacob van Ruisdael is not Jewish".Forward.Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved1 January2016.
  31. ^Slive 2001,p. i.
  32. ^Wüstefeld 1989,p. 11.
  33. ^Israel 1995,p. 397.
  34. ^Scheltema 1872,p. 101.
  35. ^Hinrichs 2013b,pp. 60–65.
  36. ^abHoubraken 1718,p. 66.
  37. ^"Plaatjesalbum: De Zuid-Hollandsche Koffie- en Theehandel, Vaderlandsche historie".Zwiggelaar Auctions. Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2015.Retrieved1 January2016.
  38. ^"Kunsthalle – Statues and portraits of artists".Van der Krogt websites.Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2015.
  39. ^Clarac 1841,p. 540.
  40. ^Wijnman 1932,p. 49–60.
  41. ^abSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 26.
  42. ^Montias 1996,p. 366.
  43. ^Montias 1996,p. 369.
  44. ^Slive 2005,p. xiii.
  45. ^abSlive 2006,p. 1.
  46. ^Ashton, Davies & Slive 1982,p. 5.
  47. ^abcSlive 2006,p. 2.
  48. ^Slive 2001,p. 491.
  49. ^Giltay 1980,p. 141–208.
  50. ^abSokolova 1988,p. 63.
  51. ^Hofstede de Groot 1911,p. 275.
  52. ^Slive 2001,p. 6.
  53. ^Slive 2001,p. 591–593.
  54. ^Duplessis 1871,p. 109.
  55. ^Slive 2006,p. 3.
  56. ^Slive 2001,p. 25.
  57. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 52.
  58. ^Ham 1983,p. 207.
  59. ^Slive 2011,p. 54.
  60. ^Slive 2011,p. 56.
  61. ^Slive 2001,p. 43–48.
  62. ^abcSlive 2001,p. 181.
  63. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 68.
  64. ^abSlive 2001,p. 154.
  65. ^Slive 1982,p. 29.
  66. ^Hofstede de Groot 1911,p. 2.
  67. ^abSlive 2006,p. 4.
  68. ^Giltay 1987,p. 439.
  69. ^Kuznetsov 1983,p. 8.
  70. ^abcSlive 2006,p. 5.
  71. ^Slive 1982,p. 26-28.
  72. ^Stechow 1966.
  73. ^Wybe Kuitert (November 2017). "Spruces, pines, and the picturesque in seventeenth-century Netherlands".Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes.38(1): 73–95.doi:10.1080/14601176.2017.1404223.S2CID165427133.
  74. ^"The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede".Rijksmuseum.Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2016.Retrieved21 December2015.
  75. ^Slive 2011,p. vi.
  76. ^Slive 2001,p. 570.
  77. ^Slive 2001,p. 11–22.
  78. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 157.
  79. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 29.
  80. ^Slive 2001,p. 66.
  81. ^Watson 2011,p. 175.
  82. ^abSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 23.
  83. ^Slive 2001,p. contents.
  84. ^Hofstede de Groot 1911,p. 4.
  85. ^Slive 2001,p. 131.
  86. ^Slive 2005,p. 261.
  87. ^Hofstede de Groot 1911,p. 6.
  88. ^Wetering 2014,p. ix.
  89. ^Slive 2005,p. i.
  90. ^abSlive & Hoetink 1981,p. 13.
  91. ^Bachrach 1981,p. 19–30.
  92. ^abSlive 2001,p. 695–696.
  93. ^Slive 2001,p. 695.
  94. ^Jansen, Luijten & Bakker 2009,Letter 249.
  95. ^Jansen, Luijten & Bakker 2009,Letter 37.
  96. ^Jansen, Luijten & Bakker 2009,Letter 34.
  97. ^"In line with van Gogh".Metropolitan Museum of Art.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2015.Retrieved25 September2015.
  98. ^abcdJanuszczak, Waldemar(26 February 2006)."Art: Jacob van Ruisdael".Archived fromthe originalon 21 February 2016.Retrieved11 January2016.
  99. ^Slive 2005,p. viii.
  100. ^abWornum 1848,p. 450.
  101. ^Goethe & Gage 1980,p. 210.
  102. ^Kuznetsov 1983,p. 0.
  103. ^Schama 2011.
  104. ^Bredius 1915,p. 19.
  105. ^Clark 1979,p. 32.
  106. ^Slive 1995,p. 195.
  107. ^Baker 1982.
  108. ^Slive 2006.
  109. ^Slive 2005.
  110. ^Goethe & Gage 1980,p. 213–215.
  111. ^Smith 1835,p. 4.
  112. ^Rosenberg 1928,p. 30.
  113. ^Krugler 1846,p. 338.
  114. ^Walford 1991,p. 29.
  115. ^Walford 1991,p. 201.
  116. ^Bakker & Webb 2012,p. 212–213.
  117. ^Graham-Dixon 2013.
  118. ^Slive 2011,p. 28.
  119. ^"Collection Search:" Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".National Gallery.Archived fromthe originalon 13 January 2016.Retrieved20 October2015.
  120. ^"Collection Search:" Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".Rijksmuseum.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved8 September2015.
  121. ^"Collection Search:" Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".Hermitage.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved20 October2015.
  122. ^Collection Search:Van RuisdaelArchived9 October 2021 at theWayback Machine.Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. Accessed 19 September 2021
  123. ^"Collection Search:" Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".Metropolitan Museum of Art.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved20 October2015.
  124. ^"Collection Search:" Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".J. Paul Getty Museum.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2016.Retrieved20 October2015.
  125. ^"Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael (Haarlem 1628/9-c. 1682 Amsterdam) Dunes by the sea".Christie's.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved9 September2015.
  126. ^Slive 2005,p. 4.
  127. ^"Collection Search:" Drawings Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".Rijksmuseum.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved18 November2015.
  128. ^"Collection Search:" Drawings Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael "".Teylers Museum.Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2015.Retrieved18 November2015.
  129. ^Kuznetsov 1983,p. 9.
  130. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 234–235.
  131. ^abSchama 1987,p. 34.
  132. ^Joby 2007,p. 171.
  133. ^Kuznetsov 1983,p. 3.
  134. ^Israel 1995,p. 875.
  135. ^North 1997,p. 134.
  136. ^abPrice 2011,p. 104.
  137. ^North 1997,p. 79.
  138. ^Slive 2005,p. 7.
  139. ^Gifford 1995,p. 141.
  140. ^Gifford 1995,p. 145.
  141. ^Miedema 1994,p. 126.
  142. ^Marchi & Miegroet 1994,p. 456.
  143. ^North 1997,p. 93–95.
  144. ^Montias 1989,p. 181.
  145. ^abSlive 2005,p. 17.
  146. ^Scheyer 1977,p. 138.
  147. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 73.
  148. ^Slive & Hoetink 1981,p. 25.

Bibliography

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