The Jewish Cemetery
1654 or 1655
Jacob van Ruisdael plays a trick on our eyes by mashing up different locations into one dramatic scene. The crumbling tower in the center is actually the ruined Egmond Abbey, while the foreground tombs were sketched from a real Jewish burial ground miles away. A vivid rainbow slices through the stormy sky, turning the gloomy ruins into a powerful Baroque allegory about the fleeting nature of life and the promise of hope. It’s a moody masterpiece that proves the Dutch Golden Age wasn't just about calm windmills and tulips.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
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