Artwork
Farm
Farm is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob van Ruisdael. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The surrounding lake and expansive sky reflect the Dutch landscape tradition, emphasizing both natural abundance and the fleeting, pastoral ideal.
The work portrays a rustic farm scene that symbolizes agrarian simplicity and the harmonious relationship between humanity and nature. A solitary woman tending to the land, a moored boat, and a duck underscore themes of sustenance and domestic labor. The surrounding lake and expansive sky reflect the Dutch landscape tradition, emphasizing both natural abundance and the fleeting, pastoral ideal.
These elements collectively convey a contemplative vision of rural life rooted in the artist’s observation of everyday activity.
Technique & Style
Farm is an oil painting on canvas, a medium and support consistent with Jacob van Ruisdael's standard landscape practice. The work is classified as a landscape painting and adopts the genre conventions of Dutch landscape art, depicting a farm alongside ducks, a boat, a lake, and a woman within a rural setting.
The composition situates the farm as the focal element within a broader naturalistic scene, integrating water, figures, and animal life to characterize the countryside. Produced in the Netherlands, the painting reflects the technical approach typical of Ruisdael's landscape output, executed in oil on canvas to allow for the layered tonal handling characteristic of the period.
History & Provenance
Jacob van Ruisdael created the oil painting Farm on canvas within the Netherlands. The work depicts a rural scene featuring a farm, a lake, a boat, a duck, and a woman. Historically, the painting entered the collection of Catherine II of Russia, establishing its early royal provenance. It is currently held by the Hermitage Museum, where it remains part of the institution's landscape holdings.
Overview
Created around 1665, this oil on canvas by Jacob van Ruisdael presents a tranquil rural scene. A woman in a dark gown and white cap stands by a lake, scattering food for ducks, while a modest boat drifts nearby. Beyond the water, trees and low hills recede into a muted sky, composing a balanced view of everyday countryside life.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achievement when…
- Landscape by a River. In the Background a Limekiln
Landscape: The River Bank
Wooded landscape with river and characters
A Wooded Landscape with a Pond
Small blue
Woodland Scene with Lake
Fishermen's cottages in the dunes
Waldeingang
Peasant Cottage in a Landscape
Oak Trees near a Road, Evening
A Road through an Oak Wood
Oak Trees near a Road, Evening