"The Thicket (Path in the Haarlem Dunes)"

Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael - Oil
This is an early painting of Jacob van Ruisdael, which reveals the direction of the research undertaken by the artist as he sought a lyrical yet naturalistic conception of the landscape. Ruisdael's favorite subjects are simple woodland scenes, similar to those of Everdingen and Hobbema. He is especially noted as a painter of trees, and his rendering of foliage, particularly of oak leaf age, is characterized by the greatest spirit and precision.