View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields
Jacob van Ruisdael·1670
Historical Context
Van Ruisdael's View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields from around 1670-75, in the Kunsthaus Zürich, is one of his celebrated "Haarlempjes"—panoramic views of Haarlem dominated by the massive profile of the Grote Kerk (St. Bavo's Church) rising above the flat Dutch landscape. The bleaching fields in the foreground, where linen was laid out to whiten in the sun, reference Haarlem's textile industry. These panoramic views, with their vast skies occupying two-thirds of the canvas, are among the purest expressions of Dutch landscape painting.
Technical Analysis
The composition devotes an enormous proportion of the canvas to the dramatically clouded sky, with the city reduced to a thin horizontal band. Van Ruisdael's cloud painting is extraordinarily dynamic, creating an effect of moving atmosphere and changing light over the flat terrain.
