Wooded and Hilly Landscape
Jacob van Ruisdael·1660s
Historical Context
Ruisdael's Wooded and Hilly Landscape from the 1660s shows him working in his most characteristic mode — the dense, atmospheric woodland that was his greatest contribution to European landscape painting. During the 1660s, Ruisdael was at the peak of his powers and productivity, living in Amsterdam after his early career in Haarlem and receiving commissions from the merchant elite of the Dutch Republic's commercial capital. His forest scenes were collected throughout Europe and influenced landscapists in England, Germany, and France for the following two centuries. The careful observation of different tree species, the rendering of moss and lichen on rock surfaces, and the atmospheric graduation of light through the canopy all reflect his sustained and systematic study of nature.
Technical Analysis
The dense woodland is rendered with rich, layered glazes creating deep, luminous shadows. Ruisdael varies his brushwork from precise detail in the foreground vegetation to broader, more atmospheric handling in the distance. The dramatic contrast between dark forest and bright sky breaks creates a powerful sense of depth and mood.
Provenance
Johann Matthias de Neufville Gontrad [1754-1794], Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, upon his death, by inheritance to his wife; Wife of Johann Matthias de Neufville Gontrad, by gift or sold to the Stadelsches Kunstinstitut, 1817; Stadelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main (no. 270 in the catalogue of 1900); August Berg (Portland, Oregon), 1921; Frederick Mont [1894-1994], New York, NY, probably sold to Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.,; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., [1909-1988], New York, NY, sold through Frederick Mont, New York, NY, to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1963.; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
