plate no. 7491

Ferry Boat

oilBaroquelandscapetreeswaterskyfiguresboatlandscape

recreation guide

Salomon van Ruysdael’s *Ferry Boat* is a Baroque landscape that exemplifies the Dutch tradition of depicting natural scenery, specifically riverscapes, where the primary subject is a wide view arranged into a coherent composition (Source 1). As a leading artist of the 'classical' phase of Dutch landscape art, van Ruysdael’s work is characterized by vigorous contrasts of solid form against the sky and light against shade, often singling out elements like trees or windmills to create a grandiose effect (Source 8). The painting likely features a riverscape, a specific subdivision of landscape art that depicts rivers or creeks, with the sky almost always included as an essential element of the composition (Source 1, Source 2).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Earth tones)	For the initial monochrome underpainting and subsequent glazing	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium for mixing paint and glazing	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Thinner for initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits
Canvas or panel	Support surface	Linen canvas primed with gesso
Charcoal or thinned paint	Initial sketching of the composition	Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint
Palette knives and brushes	Application and scraping of paint layers	Hog bristle and sable brushes, steel palette knives

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a rigid support such as a panel or tightly stretched canvas. While specific priming recipes for van Ruysdael are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting techniques of the period involved preparing a ground that could accept multiple layers. Ensure the surface is smooth enough to allow for the fine glazing techniques characteristic of the era, but textured enough to hold the 'vigorous contrasts' of solid form (Source 4, Source 8).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint (Source 4). Use contour drawing techniques to emphasize the mass and volume of the landscape elements—such as the riverbanks, trees, and the ferry boat—rather than minor details (Source 5). The focus should be on the outlined shape and three-dimensional perspective, ensuring that the composition avoids exact bisections and places the horizon line to emphasize either the sky or the ground appropriately (Source 6).

underpainting

Execute a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil (Source 3). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the tonal values and structure of the landscape. This method was practiced by old masters to build a solid foundation before applying color glazes (Source 3).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine pigment

Sky and water reflections, establishing cool tones in the grisaille

White

Lead white or modern titanium white

Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Shadows and depth in the grisaille

Yellow and Red tones

Yellow ochre, vermilion, or red lake

Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to add warmth and local color

Earth tones

Burnt umber, raw sienna

General use in this artist's palette for land and foliage

composition

The composition should feature a center of interest, such as the ferry boat or a prominent tree, to prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern (Source 6). The viewer's eye should be led around all elements before leading out of the picture. Avoid placing the horizon line in the exact center; instead, position it to emphasize the sky or ground as appropriate for the mood (Source 6). Van Ruysdael’s classical phase style suggests building the painting through vigorous contrasts of solid form against the sky, so ensure that key elements like trees or the boat are singled out against the atmospheric background (Source 8).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the landscape composition using charcoal or thinned paint, focusing on the contour and mass of the river, banks, and boat.
Tip — Ensure the horizon line is off-center and the main subject is not facing out of the image.
Contour drawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil. Establish the light and shade values without using red or yellow tones.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors to focus on tonal structure.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Then, begin glazing and scumbling with oil, adding yellow and red tones as they occur in nature.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque. Use these to tint the engraving-like underpainting.
Glazing and Scumbling

refining

step 04
Build up layers following the 'fat over lean' rule, ensuring each additional layer contains more oil than the one below to prevent cracking.
Tip — Use palette knives or rags to adjust texture and remove paint if necessary while wet.
Fat over lean

finishing

step 05
Enhance the contrasts between solid forms and the sky, and between light and shade, to achieve the grandiose effect characteristic of van Ruysdael’s classical phase.
Tip — Sing out specific elements like trees or the boat against the atmospheric background.
Contrast modeling

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen of the glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry (oxidized) before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to add transparent and semi-opaque layers of color over a dry monochrome underpainting, allowing the underlying structure to show through.

Fat over Lean

A basic rule of oil paint application where each successive layer contains more oil than the previous one to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking.

Contour Drawing

Used in the underdrawing phase to emphasize the mass and volume of the landscape elements rather than fine details.

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the layer below, which will cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 4).
→Placing the horizon line in the exact center of the artwork, which can create a static and unbalanced composition (Source 6).
→Failing to allow the grisaille underpainting to dry completely before glazing, which can muddy the colors and compromise the transparency (Source 3).
→Over-modeling or becoming too tied down to the outline, which can result in a smallness that detracts from the grandiose effect of the landscape (Source 7, Source 8).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific pigments used by Salomon van Ruysdael are not detailed in the sources; modern equivalents are suggested based on general period practices.
·The exact dimensions and aspect ratio of *Ferry Boat* are not provided, which affects compositional planning.
·Specific details of the ferry boat's design or the surrounding flora are not described in the sources, requiring the artist to rely on general landscape conventions or external references.
·The specific varnish formula used by van Ruysdael is not mentioned, though traditional oil painting techniques are referenced.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting technique (grisaille) and glazing/scumbling methods
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on craftsmanship and avoiding over-modeling

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Overview and composition notes regarding landscape elements and sky inclusion
- Landscape painting — part 13 — applied to Identification of the genre as a riverscape
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Materials, underdrawing, and 'fat over lean' technique
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing approach emphasizing mass and volume
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional rules regarding horizon line and center of interest
Wikipedia bio — Salomon van Ruysdael↗
- Salomon van Ruysdael — part 8 — applied to Artist's style characteristics (classical phase, contrasts)