Jacob van Ruisdael (1629-1682) was one of the most prominent Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century. Though he painted various subjects including waterfalls, windmills, oceanscapes, towns, and many more, one of his more groundbreaking subjects was that of grainfields. There are twenty-seven known pieces by Ruisdael that feature grainfields of some kind, but grainfields are absent from almost all other artists’ paintings during his time (Liedtke, 795). Like many of his paintings, Ruisdael’s views of grainfields feature large skies and complex, billowing clouds, which filter the light coming down on the land. In the years that he painted grainfields, indeed, throughout most of his career, his paintings show his advancing skill at portraying nuance in his cloud formations and light affects, making his grainfield landscapes more convincing and naturalistic. In fact, for many of these pieces, art historians look at the intricacies and detail in the piece to help determine when it was made. Through the progression in his grainfield project one can see how Ruisdael developed as an artist from 1650 to 1670, beginning with an early 1650s painting in which Ruisdael is just beginning to shift his focus as a painter, and concluding with Ruisdael 1670 painting Wheatfields.
Landscape with a grainfield, Jacob van Ruisdael, early 1650s, oil on panel, formerly A. Adolf Volz, Harmelen
In this first piece, a large, dark tree is displayed prominently while the grainfield sits in background, brightened by sunlight. As one of the first appearances of a grainfield in Ruisdael's works, this painting marks the beginning of Ruisdael’s movement away from primarily painting trees and towards painting sprawling landscapes and cloud formations. However, the clouds remain relatively indistinct, lacking any significant complexity or depth, and only a sliver of the grainfield can be seen in the background. Overall, this piece lacks significant detail or depth.
Landscape with a Wheatfield, Jacob van Ruisdael, oil on canvas late 1650s to early 1660s, The J. Paul Getty Museum
In this painting, Ruisdael shifts his focus to a more sprawling view of a wheatfield. The skyscape takes up nearly two-thirds of the painting, and the cloud formations are beginning to appear more detailed and complex, using a combination of dark and light. The golden wheatfield takes up much of the visible landscape, while the trees and a steeple appear small in the background. However, the painting remains relatively indistinct, lacking close detail. Additionally, the cloud formations in the sky fail to match the light and shade on the ground.
A cornfield with a Zuiderzee in the background, Jacob van Ruisdael, 1660, oil on canvas, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
In this painting, Ruisdael begins to play with the details on the ground and in the sky. The cornfield follows the rising hill on the ground, while peasants lounge and the ships in the distance settle. Ruisdael also distorts the landscape, adding scraggly bushes and stumps. In the sky, a storm threatens and darkens the top-right of the painting. Although Ruisdael certainly makes steps toward the complexity he desires, the sky remains especially flat and lacking coherence with the land.
Country Road with Cornfields and Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael, 1660s, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
In this piece, Ruisdael again features, like Landscape with a grainfield, a tall, dark tree and a brightened cornfield in the background. However, this piece is incredible more detailed, both in the sky and on land. In the foreground, one can see a busy shepherd’s scene as well as a couple walking down the road, within the dark shade of the clouds from above. The cloud formation is dark and stormy all around, except for a bright circle in the middle, which shines light down onto the cornfield. Ruisdael accomplishes more fully his desire for the sky to match the light and shade on the ground, but he still has work to do in order to develop the clouds more fully.
Grainfields, Jacob van Ruisdael, oil on canvas, mid or late 1660s, 32.100.14
In this dark scene, Ruisdael adds nuance to the colors and works to develop the cloud formation. On the ground, a man and his dog follow a dirt road towards a windmill and a steeple far into the distance. The foreground features detailed brush and dirt. In the sky, the clouds are almost entirely dark, with only a light shade creeping around the edges. An especially light part of the sky around an opening of the sky directs the viewer down the the grainfields below.
Wheatfields, Jacob van Ruisdael, oil on canvas, 1670, 14.40.623
In what Seymour Slive called “the most imposing treatment of the subject,” Ruisdael brings everything together in his sprawling landscape view of wheatfields. The sky and the land are incredible detailed and full of depth. A dirt road leads a traveller through the brush and toward a woman and child, who stand in the light from the opening in the clouds. The cloud formation is full of darks and lights, which create depth and detail unlike any of Ruisdael’s depictions of grainfields. The clouds accurately flood the ground with light and shade, drawing the viewer into the beautiful and serene wheatfields of the Netherlands.
No comments:
Post a Comment