Forest Scene, Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael, 1653

oil on panel, h 42cm × w 49cm × d 10.6cm More details

Until the 1650s, Ruisdael’s landscapes were marked by dense groves. He was partial to gnarled, distinctive trees. Here, we see pollard willows at the right, and oaks next to them. The left foreground features a blooming lilac lining the path on which a herdsman drives his cattle. Ruisdael created depth by placing in the right foreground a bare pollard willow, accentuated by the erratic shape of its trunk and colour of its bark.