How does View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields elucidate its Historical context?
Although landscape painting had been a longstanding practice prior to the seventeenth century, the sudden rise in the popularity of pleasant countryside views was likely a welcome subject after the iconoclasm of the sixteenth century, also known as Beeldenstorm, which prohibited idolatry and religious imagery from being depicted. In the seventeenth century, Haarlem was internationally well known for its linen-bleaching industry. By deliberately depicting the linen-bleaching fields on the outskirts of Haarlem within the foreground of this work, and his other Haarlempjes (meaning "little views of Haarlem"), Ruisdael immortalizes the linen-bleaching industry, the economic prosperity experienced by Haarlem at this time, and expresses his pride as a Dutch citizen and a native of Haarlem. As a result of the economic prosperity in the area at this time, citizens of Haarlem were able to purchase Haarlempjes for themselves, which created a market for more to be made and expressed their pride in being citizens of Haarlem. Although landscape paintings were popular in seventeenth-century Dutch art, the depiction of a specific industry and its connection with a particular place was relatively rare at the time. Ruisdael was the one to popularize the painting of such landscape views of Haarlem, including the industry that the town was known for. Followers of Ruisdael, including Jan Vermeer van Haarlem and Jan van Kessel, were influenced by Ruisdael's landscapes surrounding Haarlem and went on to emulate this style in their depictions of the Haarlem landscape.
Haarlem Beeldenstorm Haarlempjes Dutch iconoclasm Jan Vermeer van Haarlem Jan van Kessel