This is one detailed overview of Ruisdael's work... :) For those interested in 17th century Dutch landscape painting and/or more specifically Jacob van Ruisdael, this book is a must-have. Beware though that it is a very specific book; so unless you already have some art history under your belt, I wouldn't recommend it.

All in all, a very excellent book for its type, by a VERY knowledgeable writer.

(see also "Dutch Painting. 1600-1800" by the same writer, which is a less detailed, more general book on Dutch 17th century painting)

Slive's book is a basic introduction to the art of the Northern Netherlands during the Baroque era. It covers a wide range of artists and genres, but fails to consider the wide interpretative issues of the art. When Slive does attempt interpretation, he tends to fall back on old-fashioned methods that have since been disproved by modern scholarship. The prose is boring and bland, but the book does feature many photos (although more of them could be in color). Overall, an introductory text that covers a lot of ground but has little depth.