Artwork
Stormy Landscape, Autumn
Stormy Landscape, Autumn is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Jacob Maris. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.
About this work
Overview
Jacob Maris’s 1890 oil painting *Stormy Landscape, Autumn* captures a bleak, windswept scene under a heavy, overcast sky. The composition is dominated by dark, muted tones that convey the imminence of a storm, while the foreground is populated with twisted trees and scrub, suggesting the force of the wind on the Dutch countryside.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a natural environment caught in a moment of atmospheric tension. The contorted vegetation and dense, low‑lying clouds evoke the transitory character of weather, a recurring theme in Maris’s oeuvre that reflects the artist’s interest in the fleeting moods of the landscape rather than narrative detail.
Technique & Style
Maris employs a thick impasto application, allowing the brushstrokes to stand out as textured surfaces that enhance the sense of turbulence. The palette is restrained, dominated by greys, browns and subdued greens, reinforcing the somber mood. These qualities align the painting with the Hague School’s realist tendencies while also echoing Impressionist concerns with light and atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Created toward the end of the 19th century, the canvas entered the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s broader effort to represent Dutch landscape painting and the influence of the Hague School within European art history.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Henricus Maris (August 25, 1837 – August 7, 1899) was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters.
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