"Grove of Large Oak Trees at the Edge of a Pond," Jacob van Ruisdael, 1665.

Van Ruisdael (c. 1629- 1682) was the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Born into a family of artists, it's unknown exactly who taught him. It's assumed he learned from his father and/or uncle, but there's no documentation. His earliest known work is dated 1646.

Details of his life are sketchy and unclear; he might have studied medicine, some claim he was Jewish (although he's buried in a Protestant cemetery), there are no known likenesses of him, no known marriages or relationships, and there were rumors he died in poverty although that was disproven.

This painting works well as an allegory; we have the tall oaks but also the fallen, broken one under a stormy sky; all comes to an end. Also worth noting that the herdsman and cattle were added by another artist much later; this is known as "staffage" and makes me cringe.

From the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.

#Art #DutchArt #DutchGoldenAge #JacobVanRuisdael #Landscape #Allegory

Jacob van Ruisdael

Country House in a Park, c. 1675

not an #artbot
#dutch #painting
#JacobvanRuisdael