A Landscape with a Ruined Building
- Artist: Jacob van Ruisdael
- Date: about 1655
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Landscape with a Ruined Building" painted in the Dutch tradition. Painted about 1655, it's an oil on wood painting that shows the destructive power of nature. The sky is dark and oppressive, dominated by shadowy cliffs in the background. In the right foreground, a fallen birch tree hints at the violent force that brought it down - its jagged edges suggest a storm rather than a human hand.
The top of the tower in the middle ground and the walls behind it are also in ruins, adding to the sense of decay. The title simply refers to this as a building, but it's almost certainly a church. Gravestones lean up against the nave, which is ruined and roofless.
Despite being from a period where artistic techniques were still evolving, there's a strong sense of atmosphere here. It's not just a landscape - it's a scene that evokes emotions. The tiny figures on the road in front of the church seem to add to this melancholy feeling, as if they're distant and unreachable.
See it in person
A Landscape with a Ruined Building hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
