Student Artwork Guide — A Pool surrounded by Trees

Name Class Date

Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael, A Pool surrounded by Trees. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist: Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael/
Artist’s dates: 1628 – 1682

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael died in 1682; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1752.

A Pool surrounded by Trees — Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael

When might this have been painted?

1620
1630
1640
1650
1660
1670
1680

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 54 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael (1628–1682) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1653 Main working years: 1653–1670 Late works: from 1670

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

The Large Forest originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-the-large-forest-8Y3GUV-en/
The Jewish Cemetery (detail) originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-the-jewish-cemetery-detail-8Y3GUU-en/
Edge of a Forest with a Grainfield, 1656 originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-edge-of-a-forest-with-a-grainfield-D3Y528-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Espresso #58524b

Catalogued palette

#58524B
#C2C5C7
#28211E
#818385

These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

Palette: Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
Main colour name: Espresso
Intensity: Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Bold How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Discordant Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Where in the world is this painting looked at?

under 1%
1–3%
3–8%
8–20%
20% and over

This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael over the last twelve months — 13 countries in all. Where these figures come from

The ten leading countries

1 China 49.1%5,300 visits
2 Hong Kong 13.0%1,400 visits
3 United States of America 12.0%1,300 visits
4 Germany 6.5%700 visits
5 Mexico 4.6%500 visits
6 Singapore 4.6%500 visits
7 Spain 1.9%200 visits
8 Italy 1.9%200 visits
9 Netherlands 1.9%200 visits
10 Slovakia 1.9%200 visits
· 3 other countries 2.6%300 visits

Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

The 20 most looked-at works by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael

1 The Large Forest 6.9%1,000 visits
2 A Landscape with a Ruined Castle and a Church 4.8%700 visits
3 Waterfall in a Rocky Landscape, 1660 4.1%600 visits
4 Winter Landscape, 1670 3.4%500 visits
5 A Pool surrounded by Trees this painting 3.4%500 visits
6 The Waterfall, 1665 3.4%500 visits
7 Landscape with Waterfall, 1668 2.8%400 visits
8 Grainfields, 1665 2.8%400 visits
9 Landscape with a Village in the Distance, 1646 2.8%400 visits
10 Beach View, 1675 2.1%300 visits
11 The Shore at Egmond-an-Zee, 1675 2.1%300 visits
12 The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede (detail), 1670 2.1%300 visits
13 Landscape with Shepherds and Peasants, 1660 2.1%300 visits
14 Oaks by a Lake with Waterlilies 2.1%300 visits
15 Landscape with watermill, Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael, 1661, 1661 2.1%300 visits
16 Countryside, 1650 1.4%200 visits
17 Road through an Oak Forest, 1647 1.4%200 visits
18 The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede, 1670 1.4%200 visits
19 Mountain Torrent, 1670 1.4%200 visits
20 An Extensive Landscape with a Ruined Castle and a Village Church, 1665 1.4%200 visits

Together these works take 54.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 182 works by this artist, of which 72 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 5 of them, with 3.4% of that attention (500 visits). The same counts, month by month

Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

Artist

Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael

Born in Haarlem, Netherlands

early life and career

jacob isaackszoon van ruisdael, a prominent dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher, was born in 1628 in the netherlands. he is widely regarded as the pre-eminent landscape painter of the dutch golden age, a period marked by great wealth and cultural achievement.

artistic style and contributions

van ruisdael's work is characterized by its versatility and prolific nature, depicting a wide variety of landscape subjects. from 1646, he painted remarkable dutch countryside scenes, which later took on a more heroic character after his trip to germany in 1650. his late work, produced while living and working in amsterdam, featured city panoramas and seascapes, often with the sky occupying two-thirds of the canvas.

waterfall in a rocky and mountainous landscape, showcasing his mastery of light and composition.

view of haarlem with bleaching grounds, exemplifying his ability to capture the essence of the dutch landscape.

view of the dam and the damrak in amsterdam, highlighting his skill in cityscape painting.

museums and collections

van ruisdael's work is spread across private and institutional collections worldwide, with notable holdings at:

the national gallery in london

the rijksmuseum in amsterdam

the hermitage museum in st. petersburg

influence and legacy

van ruisdael's influence on landscape painting traditions is profound, shaping the english romantics, the barbizon school in france, and the hudson river school in the us. he also inspired generations of dutch landscape artists. notable works:

view of haarlem with bleaching grounds

waterfall in a rocky and mountainous landscape

view of the dam and the damrak in amsterdam

artist's profile on AllPaintingsStore: jacob isaackszoon van ruisdael

Where to read more

The artist Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael/
Similar works More works to compare originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for A Pool surrounded by Trees

originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: Ruisdael, Jacob Isaackszoon Van. A Pool surrounded by Trees. n.d., https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/
APA: Ruisdael, Jacob Isaackszoon Van (n.d.). A Pool surrounded by Trees [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/
Chicago: Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael. A Pool surrounded by Trees. n.d. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/
Harvard: Ruisdael, Jacob Isaackszoon Van (n.d.) A Pool surrounded by Trees. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jacob-isaackszoon-van-ruisdael-a-pool-surrounded-by-trees-9GZJVR-en/

A Pool surrounded by Trees — Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
Our catalogue files this work under: forests. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
Look back at The Large Forest, earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
What might the artist have wanted you to feel?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

Questions & Answers

Does "A Pool surrounded by Trees" show strong light-dark contrasts?

"A Pool surrounded by Trees" by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael shows a bold contrast between its light and dark areas.

How can I get a print of "A Pool surrounded by Trees" by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael?

A print of "A Pool surrounded by Trees" by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael can be ordered directly on its Fine Art Print page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.

What kind of colors does "A Pool surrounded by Trees" use?

"A Pool surrounded by Trees" by Jacob Isaackszoon Van Ruisdael uses an earthy color palette. The palette summarizes the work's overall color character.