Waterfalls were a popular subject and frequently painted by the artist. In the 1650s, Ruisdael painted his first mountain landscapes with the same motif. He himself had never been to high-mountain regions or to Scandinavia. He is thought to have taken the motif over from Allaert van Everdingen, who travelled in Scandinavia in 1644. Ruisdael's favorite subjects are simple woodland scenes, similar to those of Everdingen and Hobbema. He is especially noted as a painter of trees, and his rendering of foliage, particularly of oak leaf age, is characterized by the greatest spirit and precision.