A Wooded Marsh is a captivating oil on canvas painting by the renowned Dutch landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael, dating back to the 1660s. This masterpiece is a quintessential example of the Dutch Golden Age painting and currently resides in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The painting measures 62.2 cm by 55.2 cm (24.5 in by 21.7 in) and showcases Ruisdael’s exceptional ability to capture the essence of natural landscapes.
The scene depicted in A Wooded Marsh is one of serene beauty, featuring a stagnant pool overgrown with water-lilies and other aquatic plants, stretching from the distant center to the foreground. Flanking the pool are majestic beeches and oaks, their reflections mirrored in the calm waters. A striking feature in the right foreground is a great withered oak, alongside a felled beech whose end dips into the water. Adding life to the composition, three ducks take flight into the bushes, startled by the approach of a man visible in the distance. Despite the passage of time, which has seen the green of the foliage fade, the painting remains a genuine and very fine piece, signed by Ruisdael himself on the left at the foot.
This particular work was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1911 and has been part of the Hermitage Palace’s collection since it was acquired by Empress Catherine II of Russia. It was already present in the Hermitage in 1835, valued then at £450. A Wooded Marsh is emblematic of Ruisdael’s style during this period and has served as an inspiration for subsequent generations of landscape painters.
Jacob van Ruisdael, born around 1629 and passing on March 10, 1682, is widely regarded as the pre-eminent landscape painter of his era. His prolific output included a variety of subjects, from traditional Dutch countryside scenes to heroic landscapes following his travels to Germany, and later, panoramic city views and seascapes when he resided in Amsterdam. His works often featured skies that occupied two-thirds of the canvas, and he produced over 150 Scandinavian views with waterfalls.
Ruisdael’s influence extends beyond his lifetime, shaping landscape painting traditions across the globe and inspiring artists from the English Romantics to the Hudson River School in the US. His only registered pupil was Meindert Hobbema, whose work is sometimes mistaken for Ruisdael’s own. Despite the popularity of his work in the Dutch Republic during his lifetime, Ruisdael’s travels were relatively limited, with no record of him having visited Scandinavia, despite the numerous landscapes depicting the region.
A Wooded Marsh stands as a testament to Ruisdael’s deep understanding of the psychological impact of landscapes and his ability to convey the laws of existence through his art. It is not just a visual representation of nature but also an exploration of the emotional resonance that such scenes can evoke in the viewer.
