Attributable to Jacob van Ruisdael (Haarlem 1628 - Amsterdam 1682)
Wooded landscape with waterfall
oil on canvas (74 x 94 cm - framed 91 x 111 cm)
Details of the work (click HERE)
A wooded view crossed by a tumultuous stream which ends up crashing into a thunderous waterfall: this is a work executed with quality and attention to detail easily attributable to Jacob Van Ruisdael (1628 - 1682), one of the main and most influential Flemish landscape painters of the 17th century.
This is in fact a typical composition of the painter, who made the depictions of waterfalls a distinctive element in his landscapes, a trademark of his catalog, managing to depict the water that splashes and foams as it crashes on the rocks, in a way so natural, delicate and transparent that it seems real and almost comes out of the canvas.
The waterfall is in fact shown in the foreground occupying the canvas in all its width, so that the spectacle created by the water seems to be directly in front of the viewer, increasing the dynamism and sublimity of the depiction.
The depiction of water flowing quickly in a convincing way is one of the greatest challenges of landscape painting that seems to have particularly fascinated van Ruisdael, making him a true master.
Over a hundred years earlier, Van Ruisdael infused his landscapes with the typical elements of what would later be the manifesto of Romanticism: he juxtaposes the immense energy of nature with the weak silhouettes of two buildings, a church tower and a house half-hidden by trees, timid testimonies of the presence of man. Tiny figures are barely visible among the buildings near the wooded paths, as if to indicate to the observer how overwhelming the force of this wild nature is.
For comparative purposes, we present below some of his paintings from public collections or which have passed through international auctions:
- Waterfall in a mountainous landscape with a ruined castle, Private Collection https://www.pubhist.com/w4698
- Church by a waterfall https://www.mauritshuis.nl/it/scopri-la-collezione/collezione/153-chapel-by-a-waterfall/
- Waterfall in a Mountainous Landscape with a Ruined Castle https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacob_van_Ruisdael_-_Waterfall_in_a_Mountainous_Landscape_wi...
- Waterfall with castle, 1670s Museum (institution) Dayton Art Institute https://rkd.nl/images/216819
- Vienna Palazzo Dorotheum, Auction 08.06.2021, https://www.dorotheum.com/it/l/7203940/
- Norwegian landscape with waterfall, The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg https://www.oceansbridge.com/shop/artists/r/rot-rum/ruisdael-jacob-van/waterfall-in-norway-2
- Mountain landscape with waterfall, North Carolina Museum of Art https://ncartmuseum.org/object/wooded-landscape-with-waterfall/
- Landscape with waterfall, Städtisches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt-am-Main https://www.pubhist.com/w12501
The painting is in excellent condition.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with a pleasant gilded frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card.
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