Jacob Jacobs – Waterfall in Norway, 1855

by Atelier Liesjes

A river surges with great force through dark forests. The water cascades over boulders in broad, foaming curtains, turning white and churning, and spreads out in the foreground across a bed of boulders and driftwood. On the left stands a heavy wooden structure on stilts above the water; to the right of centre lies a brown-red wooden house with a wide roof, with figures on the bank. A wooden weir with a latticework of beams runs across the stream. In the midst of the turmoil, a man in a red shirt sits on a rock, a stick in his hand. Behind the trees, mist-shrouded hills loom beneath a heavy, grey, cloudy sky. The painting revolves around a single contrast: the restless movement of the water set against the stillness of the forest and the rocks. Jacobs paints the foam with short, almost white strokes and allows the depth of the river to fade into a dark green-brown. Above the horizon, a pale, yellow light breaks through the clouds, revealing the mist above the waterfall. The style is romantic and picturesque, with attention to detail in the moss, bark and glistening wet rock; in the nineteenth century, Norway was regarded as the quintessential land of wild nature. Jacob Jacobs (Antwerp 1812 – Antwerp 1879) was regarded in Belgium as one of the most important painters of seascapes, rivers and mountain landscapes. He studied at the Antwerp Academy and undertook study trips to Norway, where he captured waterfalls, fjords and sawmills in quick oil sketches which he later developed into large canvases. His work was exhibited at the Belgian salons and was prized by collectors in the nineteenth century for its faithful depiction of Nordic nature. This waterfall is a bold, romantic piece, ideal for a country house or study.