A Cascade, with a farm on the left

A Cascade with a Farm from around 1670 combines Ruisdael's imaginary Scandinavian-type waterfalls with a homely Dutch farm building. This juxtaposition of the wild and the domestic creates a distinctive landscape vision that bridges northern European traditions. 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 subje...

The cascade provides dynamic movement contrasting with the static farm buildings. Ruisdael's handling of rushing water and misty atmosphere demonstrates his mastery of capturing nature's energy.