Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael

Jacob van Ruisdael was the leading landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age. His skies are huge and restless, his trees gnarled and heavy, and even a quiet view of dunes or a windmill carries a sense of drama. Light breaks through clouds onto one patch of land and leaves the rest in shadow.

He was born in Haarlem, joined the painters’ guild there in 1648 and moved to Amsterdam around 1657. He painted forests, water mills, beach scenes and panoramic views of Haarlem, and more than 150 waterfalls inspired by Scandinavian scenery he never saw himself. Meindert Hobbema was his pupil. His Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede in the Rijksmuseum and The Jewish Cemetery are among his most famous works.

Painters from Constable to the Barbizon school learned from him. In his waterfalls, such as Waterfall with Castle Built on the Rock, watch how the white water leads the eye through the picture.