Canal Landscape with a Fisherman 1640 - 1682

Jacob van Ruisdael made this pen and brown ink drawing of a canal landscape with a fisherman sometime in the mid-17th century. The scene may seem like a simple slice of Dutch life, but it speaks to the ways the Dutch Republic was reinventing itself at the time. The Dutch Golden Age saw an explosion of wealth and trade, but also a growing sense of national identity. Ruisdael's landscapes weren't just pretty pictures, they were powerful statements about the relationship between the Dutch people and their land. The emphasis on mundane scenes reflected the cultural values of the middle class. It was a way of defining themselves against the aristocratic art of other countries. To understand Ruisdael, you'd want to dig into the economic history of the Dutch Republic. The archives of the Dutch East India Company or the records of the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke, where Ruisdael was a member, would be invaluable resources. Ultimately, the meaning of this art is not just in the image itself, but in the world that created it.