Winter Landscape

A survey of the large oeuvre of Jacob van Ruisdael reveals he painted virtually every subject depicted by Dutch landscapists: dunes and country roads, grainfields, panoramas, rivers and canals, woods and forests, ruins, winter scenes, water and windmills, city views, mountain scenes, Scandinavian landscapes, and seascapes and views of beaches as well.

Ruisdael's winter landscapes are not the least remarkable in the oeuvre. In the first-rate example of one at Munich forbidding dark clouds hang over a forlorn snow-covered scene. There is no trace here of the gaiety of Avercamp's better known winterscapes and, unlike his, Ruisdaele's conjures up no image of skaters and other delights of the season. Its subject is a rarer one: the brooding mood of a winter day darkened by threatening clouds.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 11 minutes): Vivaldi: Concerto in F minor RV 297 op. 8 No. 4 (Winter)