River scene with sailing boats unloading at the shore

Salomon van Ruysdael ca. 1602 - 1670

Summary

Salomon van Ruysdael is best known for his calm river landscapes. He was one of a group of artists active in and around Haarlem who brought a greater sense of naturalism to Dutch landscape painting in the 17th century. Previously artists had relied on Flemish models with bird's-eye viewpoints and spectacular, imaginative scenery, but these painters set about capturing the landscape of flat, reclaimed lands, or polders, that they saw around them, delighting in the picturesque details that this new man-made landscape produced. They adopted a more naturalistic approach to colour too, using a tonal palette of browns and silvery greys to convey the subtle beauty of the local landscape. Ruysdael frequently used a diagonal shoreline to create depth and draw attention to the waters beyond, as he does here. There is great activity as the boats unload. A horse and cart travel along the bank to the left, beneath an unusually prominent dead tree. Moorhens and other small birds in the sky add a light touch.

Display Label

River Scene with Sailing Boats Unloading at the Shore mid 1600s Salomon van Ruysdael 1600/3-70 Oil on panel Salomon van Ruysdael is best known for his calm, naturalistic river landscapes. He worked in Haarlem where artists had developed a tonal palette of browns and silvery greys to convey the subtle beauty of the local landscape. Ruysdael frequently uses a diagonal shoreline to create depth and draw attention to the waters beyond. There is great activity here as the boats unload, and a horse and cart travel along the bank to the left beneath an unusually prominent dead tree. Assheton Bennett bequest 1979.498