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Jacob van Ruisdael is regarded as the premier painter of landscapes within Dutch painting from the second half of the 17th century.

Master in the Guild of Painters in Haarlem

Road through an Oak Forest is thought to have been painted at a time where Ruisdael was only 18 or 19 years of age and was about to be accepted as a master in the Guild of Painters in his home town of Haarlem. The romantic atmosphere and harmonious composition shows the influence of his uncle Salomon van Ruisdael (c. 1602-1670), who may have been his teacher.

Large-scale format and varied colour scheme

With the large-scale format and a more varied colour scheme he moved away from the "tonal" landscape painting founded by the first generation of Haarlem landscape painters as represented by e.g. Jan van Goyen (1596-1656).

The idealised landscape

In Road though an Oak Forest the large, monumental oaks show the early beginnings of the idealised landscape that came to be his trademark. The half-dead tree crowns and the overgrown tree stump to the right in the picture’s foreground may be read as allusions to the brevity of life and how all things must perish. Well hidden, Ruisdael also painted a courting couple in the dark forest in the background.

Details

  • Title: Road through an Oak Forest
  • Creator: Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael
  • Creator Lifespan: 1628/29 Haarlem - 10-03-1682 Amsterdam
  • Creator Nationality: Dutch
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Amsterdam
  • Creator Birth Place: Haarlem
  • Date Created: 1646-1647
  • Værktekst: Jacob van Ruisdael anses for at være den førende landskabsmaler i anden halvdel af 1600-tallets hollandske maleri. Optaget i Haarlems malerlav Vej gennem en egeskov menes at være malet på et tidspunkt, hvor Ruisdael kun var 18-19 år gammel og stod for at blive optaget som mester i sin fødeby Haarlems malerlav. I den romantiske stemning og harmoniske komposition kan man blandt andet spore indflydelsen fra hans onkel Salomon van Ruisdael (ca. 1602-1670), som han muligvis gik i lære hos. Stort format og nuanceret farveskala Med det store format og en mere nuanceret farveskala bevægede han sig væk fra det "tonale" landskabsmaleri, som blev grundlagt af Haarlems første generation af landskabsmalere repræsenteret ved blandt andet Jan van Goyen (1596-1656). Det idealiserede landskab I Vej gennem en egeskov ses i de store monumentaliserede egetræer kimen til det idealiserede landskab, som skulle blive hans varemærke. De halvt udgåede trækroner og den overgroede træstub til højre i maleriets forgrund kan fortolkes som hentydninger til livets korthed og altings forgængelighed. Som modpol eller formildende omstændighed har Ruisdael malet et amourøst par i baggrundens dunkle skov.
  • Teknik: Olie på lærred
  • Proveniens: Gave fra Dansk Kunstmuseumsforening 1916
  • Provenance: Acquired 1916
  • Physical Dimensions: w85 x h65 cm (Without frame)
  • Dansk link: http://www.smk.dk/index.php?id=1156
  • Dansk Titel: Vej gennem en egeskov
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Statens Museum for Kunst, http://www.smk.dk/en/copyright/creative-commons/
  • Medium: Oil on canvas

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