Jewish Cemetery
Artist: Jacob van Ruisdael
Year Composed: 1650
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
Year Composed: 1650
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
About the Artwork
Jacob van Ruisdael's Jewish Cemetery showcases the circle of life of nature. He depicts several tombs and graves within the foreground of the canvas amongst the broken tree limbs and grass. In the center of the painting rests a run-down cathedral, broken and dilapidated, yet still standing. The foreground of the scene represents death and the end of life (in the fallen trees and tombs), yet the background shows life. In the back, van Ruisdael portrays lush greenery, sunlight raining down through the clouds, and even a faint rainbow. The running water travels from the back of the canvas to the front, implying that even though death is in the forefront of the scene, life is not far behind, thus completing the chain that is the circle of life.
About the Artist
As one of the prominent landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Jacob van Ruisdael gave the art world an almost-hyper realistic aesthetic of painting. Van Ruisdael's paintings typically depicted atmosphere as the upper two-thirds of the canvas, which expressed motion, movement, and vivacity within his pieces. The extreme precision and detail within the clouds, land, and objects give the sense of a photographic appeal to viewers, making them feel as if a part of the scene. These include The Jewish Cemetery (1650), Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede (1670), and A Wooded Marsh (1660).
About the Movement
Jewish Cemetery was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Jacob van Ruisdael's Jewish Cemetery showcases the circle of life of nature. He depicts several tombs and graves within the foreground of the canvas amongst the broken tree limbs and grass. In the center of the painting rests a run-down cathedral, broken and dilapidated, yet still standing. The foreground of the scene represents death and the end of life (in the fallen trees and tombs), yet the background shows life. In the back, van Ruisdael portrays lush greenery, sunlight raining down through the clouds, and even a faint rainbow. The running water travels from the back of the canvas to the front, implying that even though death is in the forefront of the scene, life is not far behind, thus completing the chain that is the circle of life.
About the Artist
As one of the prominent landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Jacob van Ruisdael gave the art world an almost-hyper realistic aesthetic of painting. Van Ruisdael's paintings typically depicted atmosphere as the upper two-thirds of the canvas, which expressed motion, movement, and vivacity within his pieces. The extreme precision and detail within the clouds, land, and objects give the sense of a photographic appeal to viewers, making them feel as if a part of the scene. These include The Jewish Cemetery (1650), Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede (1670), and A Wooded Marsh (1660).
About the Movement
Jewish Cemetery was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
*This is the favorite work of art by the creator of Hall of the Art Thieves.