Fredrik Marinus Kruseman Dutch, 1816-1882

Painted in 1851, the present work is an excellent example of the refined style which would earn Kruseman his greatest fame.
It is a highly finished, almost fairy-like, arcadian view of a gothic ruin. Only the travellers and faggot-gatherers appear to link it to the real world. This combination of real and idealised, of splendid natural settings with ruins and figures, reflects the influence of Barend Cornelis Koekkoek’s teaching and was adapted by Kruseman to suit his own artistic ideals.