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- Meg Black (2010). Van Ruisdael’s Vision. Inspired by the Dutch artist Jacob van Ruisdael. Mixed media painting, 30 x 22.
The Dutch artist Jacob van Ruisdael (1628-1682) painted dramatic compositions of the Dutch countryside,
particularly the flatlands around Haarlem that the industrious Dutch had reclaimed from the sea. In his View of Haarlem (1670), van Ruisdael covers two-thirds of the canvas with changing skies, a reference to the wind driven climate that enabled the linen to dry and be turned into cloth, a staple industry that supported the Dutch middle-class.
Like van Ruisdael, I am captivated by the patterns and energy expressed by changing skies. The clouds seem to dance with the sun, creating their own rhythm as they move. I also use linen in my pulp paintings for its strength and creamy color which absorbs the pigment and resists all measures of fading.
