Pamono After Jacob Van Ruisdael, Landscape with Wood, 1670, Oil on Canvas, Framed> Old Masters|Classical

Wooded Landscape with Waterfall

Oil on canvas
74 x 94 cm. – Framed 91 x 111 cm.

A wooded landscape crossed by a rushing stream that ends up crashing into a thunderous waterfall: this work, executed with quality and meticulous attention to detail, is easily attributed to Jacob van Ruisdael (1628 – 1682), one of the leading and most influential Flemish landscape painters of the 17th century.

It is, in fact, a typical composition of the painter, who made the depiction of waterfalls a distinctive element in his landscapes, a trademark of his oeuvre. He succeeded in depicting the water splashing and foaming as it crashes against the rocks in such a natural, delicate, and transparent way that it seems real and almost leaps from the canvas.

The waterfall is shown in the foreground, occupying the entire width of the canvas, so that the spectacle created by the water appears to be directly in front of the viewer, heightening the dynamism and sublimity of the depiction.

The convincing depiction of rapidly flowing water is one of the greatest challenges of landscape painting, and it seems to have particularly fascinated van Ruisdael, making him a true master.

Over a hundred years ahead of his time, van Ruisdael infused his landscapes with the hallmarks of what would later become the manifesto of Romanticism: he contrasts the immense energy of nature with the faint silhouettes of two buildings, a church tower and a house half-hidden by trees, timid reminders of human presence. Tiny figures near the forest paths can barely be seen among the buildings, as if to indicate to the viewer how overwhelming the force of this wild nature is.

For comparison, we include below some of his paintings from public collections or sold at international auctions:

– Waterfall in a Mountainous Landscape with a Ruined Castle, Private Collection
– Church by a Waterfall
– Waterfall in a Mountainous Landscape with a Ruined Castle
– Waterfall with a Castle, 1670s, Museum (institution) Dayton Art Institute
– Vienna, Dorotheum Palace, Auction 08.06.2021
– Norwegian Landscape with Waterfall, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
– Mountain Landscape with Waterfall, North Carolina Museum of Art
– Landscape with Waterfall, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt-am-Main
The painting is in excellent condition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic .