English: Backhuysen's seascapes demonstrate the simple, harmonious proportions found in many Dutch depictions of the ocean: water occupies about one quarter of the compositions, while ships silhouetted against an immense cloudy sky occupy the remainder. This recreates the experience of being out on the water; indeed, Backhuysen hired fishermen to take him out in storms to study wind and waves. This painting is from the 1660s, the artist's best period. His fame was such that in 1697-98, when the Russian tsar Peter the Great visited the Dutch Republic to study European shipbuilding and the arts, Backhuysen was asked to teach him painting.