A Waterfall in a Rocky Region 1643 - 1682

Curator: Here we have Jacob van Ruisdael's "A Waterfall in a Rocky Region," believed to have been painted sometime between 1643 and 1682. It's oil on wood panel. Editor: My first impression is the somber drama. Even in what appears to be monochrome, you feel the weight of the water and the unyielding rock. Curator: Indeed. The composition is brilliant; notice how the diagonal thrust of the waterfall leads the eye upward, only to be met by the imposing architecture nestled amongst the landscape. A beautiful play of light and shadow creates a depth, but does it reflect a world order or societal mood? Editor: It evokes the Netherlands during a period of tremendous economic growth tied directly to ruthless colonialism. What seems like a mere landscape, idyllic even, exists because of resources extracted from other parts of the world and laborers subjugated to it. Can we divorce the aesthetic from this brutal reality? Curator: The artist's treatment of nature possesses inherent beauty. The cascade and rugged rocks demonstrate van Ruisdael’s masterful skill in capturing textures. Notice the fine brushstrokes creating a stunning realism! It allows for quiet contemplation on the magnificence of nature in and of itself. Editor: Contemplation... or complicity? Even representations of nature, such as this, are not neutral. The focus on European landscapes naturalized a certain type of power over nature and others and established this land and culture as paramount. Curator: But to deny van Ruisdael's technical achievement—the rendering of light, texture—is to diminish the conversation! We must see value in both technique and artistic rendering AND in its place of meaning and history. Editor: Perhaps by accepting the complex web of intention and meaning embedded within we become able to discuss art through both an aesthetic and moralistic scope. It provides richer avenues of thought about the time and meaning! Curator: It certainly shows us the art world through new points of view!