Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Dutch Ruysdael skies


Welcome to my blog.


The sky over Amsterdam is one of  my daily inspirations, the studio looks out over the IJlake.
Therefore I love this beautiful observation by my Americain friend, Julie Lemon from Chicago.
J.Lemon is a photographer and visited my studio daily in May.

Jacob van Ruysdael, View of Haarlem, 1670


A close study of the 17th century Dutch landscape painters reveals
their ability to see and faithfully describe the land in which they
found themselves.
My recent trip to Amsterdam affirmed the Dutch painter’s accuracy
in describing the unique skies that are so much a part of this country’s landscape.
While visiting Nicolette Brunklaus, I was drawn to the ever-changing Dutch sky, which van Ruysdael transcribed centuries before with its vastness and varying moods.

At times the skies bring elegant puffy clouds, brisk wispy clouds,


dark low hanging clouds that press down to blanket the land,
or simply empty blue space. So moved by the changing moods of this
sky, I photographed them everyday at the same point as I walked to
Brunklaus’s atelier. (May 2009).
Julie Lemon 2009