The basis of the economic prosperity of Holland from time immemorial was the sea trade. Perhaps that is why marine species have traditionally enjoyed great popularity here. In the 17th century, a whole cohort of prominent marine painter artists worked in Holland.
Ruysdal did not try to compare with them in the accuracy of the image of each individual vessel and the details of its rigging. He sought, first of all, to convey the power and greatness of the sea element. Ships were for him only ancillary details.
In 1721, Arnold Haubraken wrote: “He understood how to write the sea. When he portrayed storm waves crashing against coastal cliffs, they seemed ready to fall directly on the viewer’s head. He was certainly one of the best in the marine genre landscape. “
There are many inaccuracies in the haubraken writings, but this quotation does not seem to apply to them. About 30 marine species of the Ruysdael have reached us, and none of these paintings are dated.
