Salomon van Ruysdael - A Ferry on a River [1649]

Salomon van Ruysdael - A Ferry on a River [1649], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Salomon van Ruysdael (Dutch, 1600/03 - 1670), one of the leading landscape painters of his generation, was renowned for the atmospheric effects he created in his images of life along peaceful Dutch waterways. In the 1640s he helped lay the foundation for the classical period of Dutch landscape and influenced a generation of artists, including his nephew Jacob van Ruysdael, Meindert Hobbema, and Aelbert Cuyp.

Salomon’s Ferry on a River, signed and dated 1649, is both imposing in scale and visually compelling. It depicts a ferryboat filled with travelers, including some seated in a horse-drawn carriage, crossing a broad river near a turreted castle. A large clump of trees silhouetted against the windswept blue sky provides a framework for the animals and humans activating the scene. Light floods into this harmonious composition, illuminating the leaves of the trees as well as the distant sailboats and village church.

[National Gallery of Art, Washington - Oil on canvas, 39.2 x 52.5 inches]