The Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery is a fine example of Jacob van Ruisdael's ability to evoke emotions and prompt thought by way of nature-inspired images. It also shows his skill in combining imagination and observation.

There are two versions of this painting, the other known as the Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk. Ouderkerk was about six miles outside of Amsterdam along the river Amstel.

This canvas is filled with symbolic intent; the image portrayed is one of death and destruction contrasted with a rainbow and new foliage, symbolizing nature's capacity for growth and regeneration.

It's thought that van Ruisdael's preparatory drawings for this painting show that the tombs were drawn from observation but that he altered the church in order to create a somewhat romantic ruin. Furthermore, the landscape background in both versions of this painting are not a true reflection of the real site at Ouderkerk but are, in fact, inventions of the artist. The cemetery at Ouderkerk did not possess monumental ruins and so many believe that van Ruisdael took inspiration from Egmond Castle and its surroundings, a site around forty kilometers away from Ouderkerk.

The message that most critics believe van Ruisdael conveys in this work is a moral one. These two canvasses are the only ones in which the artist depicted tombs and even among his peers this feature was rare. Yet, in several of van Ruisdael's paintings he included ruins, dead and broken trees, streams, rivers and waterfalls.

Many argue that such features not only underpin the essence of his landscapes and allude to the transience of life but also offer insight into seventeenth-century landscape painting. Supporters of this theory believe that such features served as visual sermons to put across a biblical message that life is a series of fleeting moments and that we are all faced with temptation but can only hope for salvation.

The Jewish Cemetery is van Ruisdael's most famous and renowned work and its most outstanding features are the decaying ruin and rainbow, symbolizing both life and death.

Theme/Mood:
A number of themes dominate this work, such as the dying nature which can be seen browning, the ruined buildings, rushing water and tumultuous sky which help create an overall dramatic effect.

In The Jewish Cemetery there is a romantic aspect and van Ruisdael surpasses his contemporaries in showing beauty in the darkest forms of life. The artist uses a lot of decaying motifs to convey the fragility of human existence on earth. The tombs naturally symbolize death and the running stream represents the flow of life and how it leads you in different directions.

The decaying nature symbolizes the effects of weather and change just as people experience change and life-altering events. The strong elements of nature and the rainbow show that even after the rough storm the human spirit can triumph and be renewed.

Composition:
Van Ruisdael's original sketches show that the cemetery had no dying beech tree nearby, no gushing river nor a hilly background. The land appears to be flat and calm and the location of the river was in fact shifted into the front by the artist himself to fit in with his compositional techniques.

The insertion of the dead tree and rolling hills were also created entirely from the artist's imagination to add dimension to this piece.

The composition of The Jewish Cemetery is created on a tilted axis in order to add depth to the piece. The forefrontal plane lies to the right, making the dying beech tree the first object we see. The ruins lie upon a third plane and are painted on higher ground to elevate their presence.

All objects are based around the ruins which are the focal point of this canvas. The spiraling dead beech tree's broken piece of bark all lead the viewer's eye to the ruins.

Van Ruisdael's insertion of the beech tree serves to connect the land and sky. This was done to create a natural sense of harmony between the two planes. The faint rainbow also serves this purpose as the horizon merges into one dark form in the distance.

Color:
Deep brown ochres and dull reds are used in the sky and stark streaks of blues can be seen emerging through the browns. Darks greys and black dominate the sky which forms deep shadows.

A free and sporadic use of yellow tones can be seen by the tree trunk in the middle of the composition as well as the planks around the gravestones, creating a sense of depth.

Light:
Van Ruisdael paints the light source coming from behind the viewer, as can be seen by the stark shadows on the tombs and the dying beech tree. He uses both dark and light green tones for the foliage in light and shadow.

The eye is drawn to the three tombs in the middle distance, where the light is centralized.

Brush stroke:
Light brush strokes define the foliage and make them appear wispy and delicate. The tombs appear to have a smooth texture with neat and clear strokes portraying their sturdiness.

Harsh daubing and layering is used for the ground for definition and depth to imitate its true texture. This technique also creates a sense of movement under the prevailing weather conditions.

Several of van Ruisdael's depictions of the flat plains around Haarlem are among his most valued work and they feature in leading galleries around the world. However, The Jewish Cemetery is the most celebrated of all of van Ruisdael's paintings.

Commenting on this work, critic M. Blanc writes, "But if one would understand the pathetic beauties that Ruysdael knew how to diffuse over even his most simple works, one must linger, with deep respect, before the celebrated canvas representing the Jew's Cemetery at Amsterdam. Three or four tombs, composed of large stones hewn in a simple and even rough style, are scattered in disorder at the foot of a large elm. The grass and the wild plants cover the uneven and stony soil, rarely disturbed by the foot of man. In the distance one sees a mass of bushy trees which surmount the spire of a chapel. The sky is dark, but there is a ray of sunlight, splendid and brilliant, piercing the clouds falling on this field of rest. The effect of this sunlight is dazzling; the whiteness of the tombstones, brilliantly lighted, is rendered still more remarkable by the contrast of the deep shadows which cover the other objects. One might say death and life; but the splendour of the day has a coldness... which it is impossible to define. In vain the shining star throws her light and warmth on the stones of sinners. What an austere elegy, and what wonderful things can be done with the brush! The sky is above all a desolation which words are as powerless to explain. It is veiled, like the earth, with a dull tint. What grave and religious thoughts must not assail those three Jews, clothed in long robes, who wander there below in a narrow pathway winding between the tombs! Touching inspiration! the great painter has made hover over those men, faithful to those who are no more, a group of swallows, birds of memory, who every year build their nests in the same places. "

Jacob van Ruisdael created a second image of The Jewish Cemetery - a larger version - that can be found at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Jacob van Ruisdael was passionate about nature and for him it had the capacity to evoke deep and often dark emotions. Many critics believe that he also suffered bouts of depression but this cannot be proven.

Van Ruisdael's landscapes typically conveyed a gloomy, placid atmosphere evoking solitude and dark emotions and his works demanded consideration and debate. The Jewish Cemetery is a fine example of Ruisdael's ability to stir up feelings using dramatic images. This painting also shows his skill at combining imagination and observation. This canvas symbolizes both life and death through features such as tombs, ruins and a rainbow and it is his most valued work.

Dutch Baroque has become the most noted era in art. Artists were able to freely choose their subject matter and how they wanted to express it and this resulted in artists excelling in creating new art styles and techniques. Thus, the Dutch were prospering not only socially and economically but also in their art and culture.

Deriving the Baroque style from Italy, the predominantly Protestant Dutch society would not allow the presentation or idolization of religious or biblical figures in paintings, instead favoring more conservative themes. This resulted in the Dutch focusing on more realistic painting and defining new concepts in portraiture, characterization, landscapes and still life.

To find out more about van Ruisdael and his works you can refer to the literary sources listed below.

• Levey, Michael. Ruisdael: Jacob van Ruisdael and other painters of his family (Themes and painters in the National Gallery : Series ²) National Gallery, 1977
• Slive, Seymour. Jacob van Ruisdael: A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001
• Slive, Seymour. Jacob Van Ruisdael: Master of Landscape. Yale University Press, 2005
• Sotheby's, New York. Important Old Master Paintings and the Borromeo Madonna By Donatello - Volume 1, 2006