Ruisdael, View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds

Summary

In the Mauritshuis, The Hague, we explore Jacob van Ruisdael's renowned landscape of Haarlem, featuring the iconic Saint Bavo church. This 17th-century Dutch masterpiece is a 'skyscape' with clouds dominating the scene, reflecting the artist's love for the city. The painting's dynamic use of light and shadow guides the viewer's gaze through the landscape, while the artist's perspective, likely from a dune, captures the flat Dutch terrain. The canvas, with 70% dedicated to the sky, conveys a sense of weather and time, setting it apart from the idealized landscapes of its era.

Takeaways

• 🏞️ The painting is a landscape of Haarlem by Jacob van Ruisdael, housed in the Mauritshuis in the Hague, Netherlands.
• 🌟 The church of Saint Bavo is the recognizable feature that identifies Haarlem in the painting.
• ☁️ The painting is dominated by clouds, suggesting a 'skyscape' rather than a traditional landscape.
• 🖼️ The work is a portrait of the city, reflecting the artist's love and attachment to the place.
• 👨‍🎨 The landscape is a new type of painting in 17th-century Holland, focusing on a specific location rather than being subsidiary to other subjects.
• 🏞️💡 The painting may have been commissioned by the owner of linen works depicted in the foreground, which are fields for bleaching linen.
• 🌅 Ruisdael uses light and shadow effectively to draw the viewer's eye into the depth of the landscape.
• 🌄 The alternating planes of light and dark guide the viewer's eye through the painting, creating a sense of movement and depth.
• 🏖️ The artist likely painted from an elevated perspective, possibly a dune, as suggested by the sand in the foreground.
• 🎨 The painting was likely constructed in the studio, despite the tradition of artists sketching outside.
• ☁️🌬️ Seventy percent of the canvas is dedicated to the sky, capturing the dynamic movement and weather of the time.

Q & A

In which museum is the painting by Jacob van Ruisdael discussed in the script located?

The painting is located in the Mauritshuis in the Hague, Netherlands.

What is the subject of the painting by Jacob van Ruisdael mentioned in the script?

The painting is a landscape of the city of Haarlem.

What feature of the landscape in the painting helps to identify the city of Haarlem?

The church of Saint Bavo, which rises above the skyline, helps to identify the city of Haarlem.

How does the script describe the type of landscape painting by van Ruisdael?

The script describes it as a new type of painting in the 17th century in Holland, focusing on a specific place and being a portrait of a city.

What role does the artist's feeling and attachment play in the painting according to the script?

The artist's feeling and attachment are built into the portrait of the place, suggesting a personal connection to the landscape.

What is suggested about the possible commissioning of the painting in the script?

It is suggested that the painting may have been commissioned by the owner of the linen works visible in the foreground.

How does Jacob van Ruisdael use light and shadow in the painting?

Van Ruisdael effectively uses alternating planes of light and dark to draw the viewer's eye into the depth of the landscape.

What geographical feature might the artist be standing on to achieve the perspective in the painting?

The artist is likely standing on a dune, as indicated by the sand in the foreground, to achieve the elevated perspective.

What percentage of the canvas is dedicated to the sky in the painting?

Seventy percent of the canvas is given over to the sky.

How does the painting reflect the Baroque style of the 17th century?

The painting reflects the Baroque style through the dynamism within the static landscape, showing a sense of weather, time, and specificity.

What is unique about the landscape painting by van Ruisdael compared to Italian and French paintings of the time?

Unlike the idealized, classicizing landscapes of Italian and French painters, van Ruisdael's painting has a sense of weather, time, and specificity, capturing a real and dynamic scene.

Outlines

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🖼️ Landscape of Haarlem by Jacob van Ruisdael

The script introduces a painting by Jacob van Ruisdael located in the Mauritshuis in the Hague, Netherlands. The painting is a landscape of Haarlem, identifiable by the church of Saint Bavo. The majority of the artwork is dominated by clouds, representing a new genre of landscape painting in 17th-century Holland. The painting is described as a 'skyscape' and a 'portrait of a city,' reflecting the artist's love and attachment to the place. It is suggested that the painting might have been commissioned by a linen works owner, as the fields in the foreground are actually linen bleaching fields. The artist's use of light and shadow guides the viewer's eye through the landscape, creating a sense of depth. The flatness of the Dutch landscape is countered by the artist's vantage point on a dune, which provides elevation for the perspective. The painting is a contrast to the idealized landscapes of the time, offering a sense of weather, time, and specificity that makes the scene enduring.

Keywords

💡Mauritshuis

The Mauritshuis is a historic museum located in The Hague, Netherlands, renowned for its extensive collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings. In the context of the video, it serves as the setting where the painting by Jacob van Ruisdael is being discussed, highlighting its significance as a cultural and artistic landmark.

💡Jacob van Ruisdael

Jacob van Ruisdael was a prominent Dutch painter during the 17th century, known for his landscape paintings. The video focuses on one of his most famous works, emphasizing his contribution to the development of landscape art and his ability to capture the essence of a place.

💡Haarlem

Haarlem is a city in the Netherlands, and in the video, it is the subject of the landscape painting by van Ruisdael. The city's recognition is facilitated by the depiction of the Church of Saint Bavo, illustrating the artist's skill in capturing the city's identity and the viewer's connection to a specific location.

💡Landscape Painting

Landscape painting is a genre that depicts natural scenery such as mountains, forests, and rivers. The video discusses the evolution of this genre in 17th-century Holland, where it became a significant focus of artistic expression, moving away from being a subsidiary element to a central theme.

💡Skyscape

Although not a traditional term, 'skyscape' is used in the video to describe the predominant focus on the sky and clouds in van Ruisdael's painting. It suggests a new type of landscape art where the sky becomes as important as the land, reflecting the dynamic interplay between weather and terrain.

💡Light and Shadow

Light and shadow are critical elements in painting that create depth and dimension. The video explains how van Ruisdael uses these elements to guide the viewer's eye through the painting, from the foreground to the background, enhancing the sense of space and movement within the scene.

💡Dutch Golden Age

The Dutch Golden Age refers to the 17th century in the Netherlands, a period of great prosperity and cultural achievement. The video places van Ruisdael within this historical context, emphasizing the innovation and mastery of landscape painting that characterized this era.

💡Baroque

Baroque is an artistic style characterized by drama, movement, and bold contrasts. The video associates the painting with the Baroque period, suggesting that the dynamic use of light, shadow, and clouds reflects the stylistic preferences of the time, adding a sense of dynamism to the static landscape.

💡Perspective

Perspective is a technique used in painting to create the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface. The video speculates on the artist's vantage point, likely a dune, which allows for the great perspective seen in the painting, contributing to the realistic portrayal of the landscape.

💡Weather and Time

The video emphasizes the portrayal of specific weather conditions and the passage of time in the painting, which contrasts with the idealized landscapes of the Italian and French painters of the time. This attention to weather and time gives the painting a sense of realism and temporality, making it a more enduring representation of the place.

💡Studio Construction

While the painting appears to depict a scene from direct observation, the video suggests that it was likely constructed in the studio. This highlights the artist's ability to recreate the outdoors through careful observation and skillful composition, a common practice among Dutch painters of the Golden Age.

Highlights

The painting is by Jacob van Ruisdael, located in the Mauritshuis in the Hague, Netherlands.

It features a landscape of Haarlem, recognizable by the church of Saint Bavo.

The painting is dominated by clouds, representing a new type of landscape painting in 17th century Holland.

The landscape is a portrait of the city, reflecting the artist's love and attachment to Haarlem.

The painting may have been commissioned by the owner of linen works shown in the foreground.

The linen works in the foreground indicate a partly cloudy day with sun partially bleaching the linen.

Ruisdael uses light and shadow effectively to draw the viewer's eye into the depth of the landscape.

Alternating planes of light and dark guide the viewer's eye through the painting.

The artist likely painted from an elevated perspective, possibly a dune, as indicated by the sand in the foreground.

The painting was likely constructed in the studio, despite the outdoor scene.

70 percent of the canvas is dedicated to the sky, emphasizing the dynamic clouds.

The painting captures a specific landscape with a sense of weather and time.

The Dutch landscape contrasts with the idealized, classicizing landscapes of Italian and French painters of the time.

The painting embodies the Baroque style of the 17th century, with a dynamism within the static landscape.

The painting reflects an interest in things in process, a hallmark of the historical moment.

The landscape painting by Ruisdael is enduring, capturing the essence of Haarlem despite the passage of time.

Transcripts

(piano music)

- We're in the Mauritshuis in the Hague in the Netherlands,

and we're looking at probably the most famous painting

by Jacob van Ruisdael.

This is a landscape of the city of Haarlem.

- And it's recognizably Haarlem,

because of the church of Saint Bavo,

that rises above the skyline.

But most of the painting is cloud.

It is a landscape.

A new type of painting in the 17th century, in Holland.

In a way I wish this was called a skyscape.

- There is a long tradition of landscape,

and you can find some landscape from the ancient world.

You can find some early examples in the renaissance,

but their almost always subsidiary to something else.

Here we have a landscape that is very much about this place.

It is a portrait of a city.

- A portrait of someone's love of a city.

Built into these portraits of a place

is the artists feeling and attachment.

We have Vermeer painting Delft,

where he lived most of his life.

We have van Ruisdael painting Haarlem, where he lived.

- At least one artist has suggested

that this may have been commissioned by the person

who owned linen works that we see in the foreground.

If you look closely those are not the fields of a farm in the foreground,

but rather they're broad areas where linen is laid out,

so that the sun can bleach it.

This is a partly cloudy day,

and the sun is only partially reaching that.

In fact Ruisdael has effectively used both light and shadow

to draw our eye back into the depth of the landscape.

- There are alternating planes of light and dark.

We start in the very foreground in shadow.

We move to those bleaching fields return the sunlight.

Then another area of shadow,

and then another area of sunshine where we see an open field.

And then shade, and then light,

and then the church in the distance.

This helps our eye to move into space,

and to travel through the landscape.

- And to do it slowly,

and to lead our eye lovingly through the space.

Now Holland is a very flat country,

so one might wonder where the artist is standing,

to have this great perspective.

If you look carefully at the very foreground

between the grasses you can just make out that that's sand.

and this is likely a dune,

that is giving him this kind of elevation.

- Well, he's probably sketched outside.

We're so used to thinking about artist painting outside

with tubes of paint,

but this was likely constructed in the studio.

- 70 percent of this canvas is given over to the sky.

To these beautiful billowing clouds,

and the sense that everything is in motion.

- Right, and it's a very specific landscape.

In Italy at this time the Italian painters are,

and French painters too,

are painting idealized, classicizing landscapes.

Where it's always perfectly sunny.

It's always the spring.

Here we have a sense of weather, time, specificity

that makes this town enduring.

Even as time passes, even as those clouds go by.

Even as the gap of light changes on the landscape.

- That change is such a hallmark of this historical moment.

Stylistically we call the Baroque, the 17th century.

Where a kind of dynamism within the static landscape

is brought to the foreground.

- That's right, even within portraits we get a sense

of the dynamic of movement.

Even in genre scenes.

There's this interest in things that are in process.

We certainly have that here,

in this beautiful landscape by Ruisdael.