The Great Forest

Despite the modest motif, Ruisdael painted a “great” forest in the Baroque sense. The mighty oak trees rise to a crest in the centre of the composition, while the light background gives depth to the landscape. With their dwarf-like appearance, the three walkers reinforce the majestic grandeur of nature. The stump in the left foreground serves as a foil and is possibly a reference to the transitoriness of all earthly things. A nephew of Salomon van Ruysdael, Jacob van Ruisdael is considered the most important Dutch landscape painter in the third quarter of the 17th century.