=Questions to arouse interest.= What does this picture represent? In
what country would you expect to find such a scene? What do the clouds
suggest to you? Notice the water and the sails of the boat. Does the
water appear smooth or rough? Why do you think the little sailboat you
see is not the only one in the harbor? Why do you think the arms of the
mill are not moving very rapidly? How is the land protected from the
water? Whom can you see on the land? Where do they seem to be going?
What can you see beyond the clump of bushes? Notice the man who is
standing near the railing of the mill. What does he seem to be watching?
Where does the light come from? What is the center of interest in this
picture?
=Original Picture=: Buckingham Palace, London, England.
=Artist=: Jacob Van Ruysdael (rois′däl).
=Birthplace=: Haarlem, Holland.
=Dates=: Born, 1628; died, 1682.
=The story of the picture.= We know at once that the scene of this
picture must be in Holland. We could tell by the picturesque windmill
for which that country has become famous, even if we did not know that
the artist, Ruysdael, lived there all his life.
When we look at this picture, representing a scene at the mouth of a
Dutch river, it is hard for us to realize that all of this little
country is lower than the ocean, and would be flooded if it were not for
the great dikes. These dikes are thick walls of stone and earth built
near the shore, so high that the water of the North Sea cannot wash over
them, and so wide across the top that they make excellent carriage
roads. It is wonderful to think how men, by their skill and
perseverance, have been able to preserve this country from the sea.
We are told that when Caesar first reached this part of Europe he found
the few inhabitants living in wretched little huts built upon hills of
sand which had been left after a flood. They lived upon fish, which they
caught in nets made from grasses or rushes, and were miserably poor. So
much of the land was under water that it was hard to tell whether it was
land or sea.
These few natives, however, began to fill in the spaces between the sand
hills with earth and stone, building rude dikes or embankments to keep
out the water. Very often the sea broke through, flooding the land
again, but the people only built stronger dikes each time, until now at
last they have the present mighty safeguards.
The longest dike is in North Holland, and is called “The Great Dike.” It
is six miles long and from twelve to fifteen feet thick. The sea beats
against it with great force, but the sturdy Hollander watches its angry
foam in safety. The dike is carefully guarded everywhere, for if the
water should find a weak or unprotected spot in it, terrible indeed
would be the result.
The North Sea is Holland’s greatest foe, yet it has sometimes proved a
friend, for when sorely pressed in battle the Dutch have flooded their
land, thus forcing their enemies to flee for safety. They have done this
by removing small sections from the dikes, though it meant the loss of
their homes and cultivated fields. It is said that windmills, too, may
be used in flooding certain low portions of land in case an enemy
attempts to take possession.
The windmill has played an important part in building up this country,
for it has been used not only for grinding corn, crushing linseed,
sawing timber, and cutting tobacco, but to drain the land and make it
habitable.
Sometimes great lakes have been drained by water pumps set in motion by
these windmills, and what is to-day some of the most fertile land in the
country has been secured in this way. To be sure, it takes several years
to accomplish such an undertaking as this, but the patience and
perseverance of the Hollander are equal to far greater tasks than that.
It is interesting to know how the people build houses in this land. They
cannot build them as we do, because the earth is so soft and yielding
that the houses would sink in it. First, they dig out two or three feet
of earth, and, as they expect, this opening immediately fills with
water. Then they drive piles or stakes deep into the ground with a
powerful steam hammer. These are placed close together in lines to
support the walls of the house. Heavy oak boards are nailed upon them
and the brick foundation is then started just as we build ours. The back
and front of the house are not completed until after the roof is
finished, for it is necessary to allow a free circulation of air through
the house to dry it. Even then Dutch houses seem very damp to those who
are not natives. The kitchen is usually built in the front part of the
house instead of the back. The buildings we see in this picture, even
the windmill itself, must have been built in just this way.
The calm and peace of this landscape are more impressive when we think
of the great ocean outside the dike, pounding away in its ceaseless
effort to claim its own. The picture seems to tell us something of the
great effort, constant guard, and persistent struggle we must make if we
would secure peace and contentment in our lives.
But in all lives must come some stormy days. In our picture we can see
the clouds gathering, feel the warning stillness in the air, and know
that the storm will break soon. The strange calm keeps the water still
and lifeless, the sails of the boat hang flat and unruffled, the trees
are without motion, and the great arms of the windmill wait to catch the
first faint breeze.
The three women on their way to church or home must hasten, for these
storms come quickly, as the man who stands guard at the railing of the
mill well knows. There is a feeling of expectancy in this picture. As we
watch the great clouds and the strange light in the sky, we are
conscious of a great stillness all around, and we expect at any moment
to feel the rush and roar of the oncoming winds. There is something
alarming in the suspense.
We begin to feel the vastness of sky and water around us and how very
little and unimportant we are in the midst of it all. We wonder that we
have ventured so much.
The great simplicity of this landscape is also typical of the people of
Holland. The early Hollanders were remarkable for their simplicity, but
as they prospered there was a tendency toward extravagance and display
which caused much remonstrance from the clergy and more thoughtful
citizens.
The story is told of an old Dutch merchant who, having made a fortune in
trade, decided to spend the rest of his life in his country home some
distance away. Before leaving his friends he invited them all to dine
with him. Upon arriving, the guests were amazed to find themselves
seated at a large table covered with a blue cloth, and set with wooden
plates, spoons, and tumblers. Two old seamen served them with herring,
fresh, salted, or dried. The second course was salt beef and greens.
The guests, of course, were much disappointed and scarcely tasted this
poor fare. They supposed the meal was ended when the blue cloth was
removed, but no, it was replaced by one of the finest linen, the old
sailors disappeared, and a number of servants in fine liveries appeared,
serving a banquet which excelled even their highest expectations.
Then the host spoke to them: “Such, gentlemen, has been the progress of
our Republic. We began with short frugality, by means of which we became
wealthy; and we end with luxury, which will beget poverty. We should,
therefore, be satisfied with our beef and greens, that we may not have
to return to our herrings.”
Unlike many pictures which seem to be made up of a majority of either
curved or straight lines, this picture contains a great variety of
lines. We find the straight line in the masts and sails of the boats,
the walls and spires of the church, the main walls of the windmill, the
posts of the breakwater, and the three little figures in white; the
horizontal lines in the horizon, roofs, hull of the boat, and in the
breakwater. The rolling clouds, round masses of the tree tops, and the
balcony railing give us the curved lines, while we cannot fail to notice
the oblique lines of the arms of the mill and the grasses near the river
bank.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What does this
picture represent? How is Holland protected from the ocean? What are
dikes? How are they used? What kind of a place was Holland when Caesar
first entered it? What did the people do? How did they happen to build
the first dike? What is the longest dike called? What would happen if
the dike should give way? From what sea does it protect the people? How
has the sea proved their friend? at what expense to them? Of what use
are the windmills? How do they build houses in Holland? Why are the
cellars full of water? Why are the houses damp? Which room is usually in
the front of the house? How is the windmill in this picture built? What
makes you think a storm is approaching? How does the water look? the
sails? the trees? the windmill? What feeling does this picture give
you—one of peace, expectancy, suspense, anxiety, or pleasure? Why is it
typical of the people of Holland? Tell about the early Hollanders; the
Dutch merchant and the banquet. What advice did the merchant give the
Hollanders? What can you say about the composition of this picture? Of
what kinds of lines is it made up? Where do you find the different kinds
of lines?
=The story of the artist.= Jacob Van Ruysdael was born at Haarlem,
Holland, in 1628. Although he was one of the greatest of the Dutch
landscape painters, very little is known of his life. When he was only
twelve years old he painted a picture in which he showed so much talent
that his father consented to his giving up the study of medicine, for
which he had been preparing. Ruysdael’s elder brother was probably his
first teacher in painting. Later he went to Amsterdam to study, but his
great desire was to be out in the country, where he could be alone with
nature. His pictures are usually of landscapes, including a glimpse of
the sea and land, with vast sky spaces overhead. In color, a rich, warm
green predominates. It was always very difficult for him to draw people,
so he usually had some other artist paint his figures for him.
Although his paintings are extremely valuable now, he could not sell
them then, and he was so poor he was obliged at last to go to the
almshouse, where he died in 1682.
People at that time were not interested in an ordinary landscape such as
they saw every day. They thought Ruysdael was wasting his time painting
such common things. Other artists painted pictures of people and of
interesting events, real or imaginary, in brilliant colors and style.
Ruysdael painted pictures in which the landscape and not the people was
the center of interest. He was one of the very first artists with enough
appreciation for the beauty of nature to use it as the subject for his
paintings.
From what we read of Ruysdael’s life, it must have been a rather lonely
one. Of a dreamy, thoughtful nature, he spent much of his time wandering
alone by the seashore, among the sand dunes, and through the open
country. These are the scenes he painted again and again. He loved to
study the same scene in different lights, with different cloud effects,
at different times and seasons; and so we find twenty pictures of a
certain scene called “View of Haarlem from the Hill of Overveen.”
Few men have shown a more thorough knowledge of trees, the trunks, their
branches, and the character of their leaves. In his earlier work this
knowledge caused him to put too many details into his pictures, making
them somewhat stiff. But he soon overcame this difficulty and began to
put into his landscapes a peace and tranquility that rests the eye. But
since his paintings still remained unpopular he tried a change of
subjects, painting pictures of mountain scenery and rocky waterfalls.
It is generally believed that the artist Hobbema was Ruysdael’s friend
and pupil. If this is true, the two must have spent many happy days
together painting the quiet landscapes they loved so well. Neither of
them ever traveled out of Holland.
So much alike was the work of these two artists that at one time long
after their death, Hobbema’s name was removed from his paintings and
that of Ruysdael placed in its stead in order to sell them. Later every
effort was made to correct these errors. Some critics declared that
every rocky landscape must be by Ruysdael, and every peaceful scene of
cottages, high trees, and waterfalls must be by Hobbema, and so
doubtless many mistakes were made. But it was not until after Ruysdael’s
death that people awoke to his greatness and genius. Fabulous sums have
been paid for many of his pictures and they hang in the best galleries
of Europe.
Famous paintings by Ruysdael are: “Landscape with Waterfall,” “The
Tempest,” “The Swamp in the Wood,” “The Jewish Cemetery,” “Landscape
with Ruins,” “Shore at Scheveningen,” “Oak Wood,” and “Agitated Sea.”
=Questions about the artist.= Who painted this picture? Where did he
live? How did he rank? Tell what you can of his life. What subjects did
he usually choose for his paintings? What color usually predominates?
What did he find difficult to draw? Where did he pass the last days of
his life? Why could he not sell his pictures? How did they differ from
those of other artists? What artist studied with him? Of what value are
Ruysdael’s paintings to-day?
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[Illustration]