Mountainous landscape with waterfall
Jacob van Ruisdael·1660
Historical Context
Mountainous Landscape with Waterfall from around 1660 is one of many versions of Ruisdael's imaginary northern cascades. These repeated variations on a theme demonstrate his sustained engagement with the drama of falling water. Working from prints by Allart van Everdingen who had visited Scandinavia, Ruisdael constructed convincing cascades using fluid, energetic paint handling for the white water and dense impasto for mossy rocks. These proto-Romantic subjects prefigure the Sublime landscape...
Technical Analysis
Mountains frame the central cascade with dramatic geological forms. Ruisdael's rendering of the waterfall's force against the rocky terrain creates a powerful natural spectacle.
