Ruisdael, Jacob van, << ROYS dahl, YAH kawp vahn >> (1628?-1682), was the greatest Dutch landscape painter of his time. His name is also spelled Ruysdael. Other artists of Ruisdael’s time stressed the placid character of the Dutch countryside, but Ruisdael depicted nature as filled with drama and mood. He painted stormy seas, rushing waterfalls, melancholy ruins, dark forests, and clouded skies that were pierced by rays of light. Romantic painters of the 1800’s admired Ruisdael’s poetic approach to nature and often imitated his style and subject matter.
Ruisdael was born in Haarlem and in 1648 became a member of the painters’ guild there. In 1656, Ruisdael moved to Amsterdam, where he produced his finest paintings. In Amsterdam, he expanded his range of subjects to include urban scenes.
