Landscape with a Windmill, Jacob van Ruisdael
Even this early work by Jacob van Ruisdael—painted while he was still a teenager—shows his unique approach to landscape that made the simplest motifs seem grand and heroic. Dark forms are massed in the foreground, creating a stark contrast to the expansive, sunlit plain at left.
Look closely at the field across from the windmill: white linens are naturally bleached in the sun, a process that would have taken several months.
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