A river landscape with a waterfall, c. 1660
Jacob van Ruisdael·1660
Historical Context
A River Landscape with a Waterfall from around 1660 at the Phoenix Art Museum shows Ruisdael's waterfall compositions reaching American collections through the international art market. His dramatic landscapes found eager collectors worldwide. 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 S...
Technical Analysis
The waterfall provides the composition's dynamic center, with the river extending into the landscape. Ruisdael's atmospheric handling creates depth and movement throughout the scene.
