View of a Watermill c. 1650 - 1660

Jacob van Ruisdael's "View of a Watermill" is a graphite drawing executed sometime between 1650 and 1660. The drawing captures the Dutch Golden Age artist's mastery of depicting the natural world, emphasizing the details of the mill's wooden structure. The viewer's eye is drawn to the mill's large water wheel, its spokes and axle rendered with precise detail. Ruisdael's handling of light and shadow lends the work a sense of depth and realism, typical of Dutch landscape art.