Dutch painting. Rembrandt and Vincent Van Gogh - great Dutch artists Modern painting in Holland
Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the late 16th-18th centuries Published 02/06/2017 15:37 Views: 2667Our article will focus on two artists: Jan van Goyen And Jacob van Ruisdael.
They both lived during the era of the liberation of Holland from foreign yoke, and this was the Golden Age of Dutch painting. It was in the art of Holland that the following genres began to develop: portrait, landscape, everyday life, still life. This was not observed then even in the outstanding centers of art - in Italy or France. Dutch art of the 17th century. became a unique phenomenon in the artistic world of Europe in the 17th century. Dutch masters paved the way for artists from other national European art schools.
Jan van Goyen (1596-1656)
Terborch "Portrait of van Goyen" (c. 1560)
Jan van Goyen is one of the first artists to depict nature naturally, simply, without embellishment. He is the creator of the national Dutch landscape. The nature of his country gave him enough subjects to last his entire life.
Jan van Goyen was born in 1596 in the city of Leiden into the family of a shoemaker.
Although Jan van Goyen spent some time in Paris in his youth, the love of simple landscape was unknown in France, so it is hardly worth talking about any influence of representatives of French painting on his work.
In his homeland he had several painting teachers, but he spent a year only in the workshop of Isaiah van de Velde, and he communicated even less with the other mentors.
Jan van Goyen "Landscape with Dunes" (1630-1635). Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)
Creation
At first, Goyen painted Dutch villages or surrounding areas with their vegetation, then coastal views began to predominate in his paintings, where the sky and water occupied most of the paintings.
Jan van Goyen "View of the River" (1655). Mauritshuis (The Hague)
Trees, huts or city buildings play a secondary role in his paintings, but have a very picturesque appearance, as well as small sailing and rowing ships with figures of fishermen, helmsmen and passengers.
Goyen's paintings are mostly monotonous. The artist loved the simplicity of color, but at the same time his colors were harmonious. He applied the paint in a light layer.
Jan van Goyen "View of the Merwede near Dordrecht (c. 1645). Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)
The artist’s later works are distinguished by an almost monochrome palette, and the translucent soil gives them special depth and unique charm.
Jan van Goyen, Landscape with Two Oaks (1641). Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)
His paintings are pleasant precisely because of their simplicity and realism. The artist created quite a lot of artistic canvases, but his work was not always rewarded in a worthy manner. Therefore, Goyen had to earn money in other ways: he traded tulips, was involved in the assessment and sale of works of art, real estate, and land. But attempts at entrepreneurship usually did not lead to success.
Jan van Goyen "Winter Scene on Ice"
Now his work is appreciated, and any museum considers his paintings to be valuable exhibits.
Several paintings by Jan van Goyen are also in the Hermitage: “View of the river. Maas, near Dortrecht", "Scheveningen shore, near The Hague", "Winter landscape", "View of the river. Maas”, “Village view”, “Landscape with oak tree”, etc.
Jan van Goyen "Landscape with an Oak Tree"
In addition to painting, Goyen was engaged in etching (a type of engraving on metal) and drawing.
In 1632, Goyen and his family moved to The Hague, where he lived until the end of his life - until 1656.
Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/1629-1682)
Jacob Isaacs van Ruisdael was born and died in Haarlem (Netherlands). No exact portraits of him have survived. This portrait is only speculative.
Currently, Ruisdael is considered the most significant Dutch landscape artist, but during his lifetime his talent was not adequately appreciated. His teacher could have been his uncle, the artist Solomon van Ruisdael.
Ruisdael was also a practicing surgeon, working in Amsterdam.
Creation
The artist skillfully conveyed human emotions through the landscape. And for him, any component of the landscape was important: a tree branch bent by a gust of wind, a crushed blade of grass, a thundercloud, a trodden path... And all these components were harmoniously combined in his paintings into a single NATURE.
He wrote in small strokes. He loved to paint forest thickets, swamps, waterfalls, small Dutch towns or villages, and above all this - a triumphant sky. Ruisdael's landscapes are understandable to any person of any nationality, because they express the unity with nature common to all people.
Ruisdael created about 450 paintings. Other sources indicate the number 600. Most of his landscapes are dedicated to the nature of his native Netherlands, but he also painted oak forests in Germany and waterfalls in Norway.
Introduction
1. Little Dutch
Dutch school of painting
Genre painting
4. Symbolism. Still life
Rembrandt van Rijn
Vermeer of Delft Jan
Conclusion
Introduction
The purpose of the control work is:
· In the development of creative potential;
· Formation of interest in art;
· Consolidation and replenishment of knowledge.
Dutch art was born in the 17th century. This art is considered independent and independent; it has certain forms and characteristics.
Until the 17th century, Holland did not have its own significant artists in art, because belonged to the state of Flanders. However, few artists are celebrated during this time period. This is the artist and engraver Luca Leydensky (1494-1533), painter Dirk Bouts (1415-1475), artist Skorele (1495-1562).
Gradually, different schools mixed and masters lost the distinctive features of their schools, and the remaining artists of Holland ceased to have the spirit of national creativity. Many different and new styles are emerging. Artists try to paint in all genres, looking for an individual style. Genre methods were erased: historicity is not as necessary as before. A new genre is being created - group porters.
At the beginning of the 17th century, when the fate of Holland was being decided, Philip III agreed on a truce between Spain and the Netherlands. What was needed was a revolution, a political or military situation. The struggle for independence united the people. The war strengthened the national spirit. The signed treaties with Spain gave Holland freedom. This prompted the creation of their own and special art, expressing the essence of the Dutch.
The peculiarity of Dutch artists was to create a real image down to the smallest detail - a manifestation of feelings and thoughts. This is the basis of the Dutch school. It becomes realistic art, and by the middle of the 17th century it reaches peaks in all areas.
For Holland, it is typical to divide not only into genres, but also into numerous subtypes. Some masters paint scenes from the life of burghers and officers - Pieter de Hooch (1495-1562), Gerard Terborch (1617-1681), Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), others - from peasant life - Adrian van Ostade (1610-1685), third - scenes from the life of scientists and doctors - Gerrit Dou (1613-1675); landscape painters - Jan Porcellis (1584-1632), Simon de Vlieger (1601-1653), depictors of forest corners - Meindert Hobbema (1638-1609), interior masters - Pieter Janssens (1623-1682). From time to time, a certain genre becomes traditional in art schools. For example, Harlem still life painters of the so-called “breakfasts” - Pieter Claes (1598-1661), Willem Heda (1594-1680).
Artists show mores and customs, ethical and moral standards of human behavior. Family events are often depicted. Landscape painters and still life painters convey light in the open air and masterfully depict the texture of objects in closed spaces. Household painting is at the top thanks to Jan Steen (1626-1679), Gerhard Terborch (1617-1681), Pieter de Hooch (1629-1624).
1. Little Dutch
The Little Dutch are a group of artists of the 17th century, which “unite” painters of small-sized landscape and everyday genre paintings (hence the name). Such paintings were intended for the modest interior of residential buildings. They were purchased by townspeople and peasants. Such paintings are characterized by a feeling of comfort in the picture, subtlety of details, closeness between the person and the interior.
P. de Hooch, J. van Goyen (1596-1656), J. and S. van Ruisdael (1628-1682) and (1602 - 1670), E. de Witte (1617-1692), P. Claes, W. Heda, W. Kalf (1619-1693), G. Terborch, G. Metsu, A. van Ostade, J. Steen (1626-1679), A. Kuyp (1620-1691), etc. Each specialized, as a rule, in one particular genre. The “Little Dutchmen” continued the traditions of the Dutch masters of the Renaissance, who argued that art should not only bring pleasure, but also remind one of values.
The creativity of artists can be divided into 3 groups:
1630s - the establishment of realism in national painting (the leading artistic center was Haarlem, an important factor was the influence of F. Hals);
1640-1660s - the flourishing of the art school (the center of art moves to Amsterdam, attracting artists from other cities, the influence of Rembrandt becomes relevant<#"justify">2. Dutch school of painting
For three quarters of a century, the rise of art continued in the north of the Netherlands, in the republic of the United Provinces, called Holland. In 1609, this republic received state status. A bourgeois state emerged here.
The Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610) had a significant role in Renaissance painting. He painted his paintings very realistically, and the objects and figures had a high chiaroscuro technique.
There were many artists, and they lived in small cities: Haarlem, Delft, Leiden. Each of these cities developed its own school with its own genre themes, but Amsterdam played the most important role in the development of Dutch art.
3. Genre painting
In Holland, along with the popularity of the landscape genre, new ones appear: marina - seascape, city landscape - veduta, images of animals - animal painting. The works of Pieter Bruegel had a significant influence on the landscape (1525-1529). The Dutch painted their own unique beauty of the nature of their native land. In the 17th century, the Dutch school of painting became one of the leading in Europe. People's surroundings have become a source of inspiration for artists. In the art of this time, the formation of a system of genres, which began in the Renaissance, was completed. In portraits, everyday paintings, landscapes and still lifes, artists conveyed their impressions of nature and everyday life. The genre of everyday painting began to have a new concept - genre painting. The everyday genre has developed in two varieties - peasant and burgher (urban) genre. Genre paintings depicted the life of a private person: revels of revelers, economic activities, playing music. Artists paid attention to the appearance, poses, and costumes. Objects became part of the comfort: a mahogany table, a wardrobe, an armchair upholstered in leather, a dark glass decanter and glass, fruit. This genre reflected the behavior and communication of people belonging to different classes.
The works of Garard Dow were very popular at that time. He paints modest scenes from the life of the petty bourgeoisie. Often depicts elderly women sitting at a spinning wheel or reading. Dow's obvious tendency is to depict the surfaces of objects in his small pictures - fabric patterns, wrinkles on old faces, fish scales, etc. (appendix; fig.
But genre painting has undergone evolution. During the period of its formation anew, stories were distributed on the themes of recreation, entertainment, and scenes from the life of officers. Such pictures were called “breakfasts”, “banquets”, “societies”, “concerts”. This painting was distinguished by its variegation of color and joyful tones. The original genre was “breakfasts”. This is a type of still life in which the character of their owners was conveyed through the depiction of dishes and various dishes.
The everyday genre is the most distinctive and original phenomenon of the Dutch school, which opened up the everyday life of a private person to world art.
Jan Steen also wrote on the genre theme of art. He noted with a sense of humor the details of everyday life and relationships between people. In the painting “Revelers,” the artist himself looks at the viewer cheerfully and slyly, sitting next to his wife, who has fallen asleep after a cheerful feast. And in the film, through the facial expressions and gestures of the characters, Jan Steen skillfully reveals the plot of an imaginary illness.
By the beginning of the 30s, the formation of the Dutch genre painting was completed. Genre painting was divided according to social criteria: subjects on themes from the life of the bourgeoisie, and scenes from the life of peasants and the urban poor.
One of the famous artists who painted in the “peasant genre” was Adrian van Ostad. In the early period of creativity, the depiction of peasants was comical. Thus, in the picture, the fighters, illuminated by harsh light, seem not to be living people, but puppets. The juxtaposition of cold and warm colors, sharp contrasts of light create masks with angry emotions on their faces.
Later, the artist paints pictures with calmer subjects, depicting a person during his usual activities, most often in moments of rest. For example, the interior painting “Village Musicians”. Ostade conveys the concentration of the “musicians,” depicting children watching them through the window with subtle humor. Adrian’s brother Isaac van Ostade, who died early, also worked in the “peasant genre.” He depicted life in rural Holland. The painting “Winter View” presents a typical landscape with a gray sky hanging over the ground, a frozen river, on the banks of which there is a village.
In the 50-60s of the 17th century, the themes of genre paintings narrowed and their structure changed. They become calmer, more lyrical, more thoughtful. This stage is represented by the work of such artists as: Pieter de Hooch, Gerard Terborch, Gabriel Metsu, Peter Janssens. Their works are characterized by an idealized image of the life of the Dutch bourgeoisie. Thus, in the interior painting “Room in a Dutch House” by Pieter Janssens, a cozy room filled with sunlight is depicted with sunbeams playing on the floor and walls. The choice of composition emphasizes the unity of man and his environment.
Dutch genre painters tried to reflect the inner world of man in their works. In regularly occurring situations, they were able to show a world of experiences. Thus, Gerard Terborch in the film “A Glass of Lemonade” depicted a subtle language of gestures, hand touches, eye contact, which reveals a whole range of feelings and relationships between the characters.
Subtlety and truthfulness in recreating reality are combined by Dutch masters with inconspicuous and everyday beauty. This trait manifested itself more clearly in the still life. The Dutch called it "stilleven". In this understanding, the masters saw in inanimate objects a hidden life associated with the life of a person, with his way of life, habits, and tastes. Dutch painters created the impression of natural “mess” in the arrangement of things: they showed a cut pie, a peeled lemon with the peel hanging in a spiral, an unfinished glass of wine, a burning candle, an open book - it always seems that someone touched these objects, only that they were used , the invisible presence of a person is felt.
The leading masters of Dutch still life in the first half of the 17th century were Pieter Claes 1and Willem Hed. A favorite theme of their still lifes is the so-called “breakfasts”. In “Breakfast with Lobster” by V. Kheda (appendix; Fig. 16) objects of the most varied shapes and materials - a coffee pot, a glass, a lemon, a silver plate. Objects are arranged in such a way as to show the attractiveness and peculiarity of each. Using a variety of techniques, Heda perfectly conveys the material and the specificity of their texture; Thus, the glare of light plays differently on the surface of glass and metal. All elements of the composition are united by light and color. In “Still Life with a Candle” by P. Klass, not only the accuracy of the reproduction of the material qualities of objects is remarkable - the composition and lighting give them great emotional expressiveness. The still lifes of Klass and Kheda are similar to each other - they are a mood of intimacy and comfort, tranquility in the life of a burgher's house, where there is prosperity. Still life can be considered as one of the important themes of Dutch art - the theme of the life of a private person. She got her main decision in a genre film.
Symbolism. Still life
All objects in a Dutch still life are symbolic. Collections published during the 18th century<#"justify">o crumbled petals near the vase are signs of frailty;
o a withered flower is a hint of the disappearance of feelings;
o irises are a sign of the Virgin Mary;
o red flowers are a symbol of Christ’s atoning sacrifice;
o The white lily is not only a beautiful flower, but also a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary;
o carnation - a symbol of the shed blood of Christ;
o white tulip - false love.
o pomegranate - a symbol of resurrection, a symbol of chastity;
o apples, peaches, oranges were reminiscent of the Fall;
o the wine in a glass or jug represented the sacrificial blood of Christ;
o olive - a symbol of peace;
o rotten fruits are a symbol of aging;
o ears of wheat, ivy - a symbol of rebirth and the cycle of life.
o glass is a symbol of fragility;
o porcelain - cleanliness;
o the bottle is a symbol of sin and drunkenness;
o broken dishes are a symbol of death;
o an inverted or empty glass means emptiness;
o knife - a symbol of betrayal;
o silver vessels are the personification of wealth.
o hourglass - a reminder of the transience of life;
o skull - a reminder of the inevitability of death;
o ears of wheat - symbols of rebirth and the cycle of life;
o bread is a symbol of the body of the Lord;
o weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave;
o keys - symbolize power;
o a smoking pipe is a symbol of fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures;
o carnival mask - is a sign of a person’s absence; irresponsible pleasure;
o mirrors, glass balls are symbols of vanity, a sign of reflection, unreality.
The foundations of the Dutch realistic landscape were formed at the beginning of the 17th century. Artists depicted their favorite nature with dunes and canals, houses and villages. They tried to depict the nationality of the landscape, the atmosphere of the air and the characteristics of the season. Masters increasingly subordinated all components of the picture to a single tone. They had a keen sense of color and skillfully conveyed transitions from light to shadow, from tone to tone.
The largest representative of Dutch realistic landscape was Jan van Goyen (1596-1656). He worked in Leiden and The Hague. The artist loved to depict valleys and the water surface of rivers on small-sized canvases. Goyen left a lot of space for the sky with clouds. This is the painting “View of the Waal River near Nijmegen”, designed in a subtle brown-gray range of colors.
Later, the characteristic essence of the landscapes changes. She becomes a little broader, more emotional. The specificity remains the same - restrained, but the tones acquire depth.
All the new features of the landscape style were embodied in his paintings by Jacob van Ruisdael (1629-1682). By depicting trees and bushes as voluminous, it created the feeling that they were moving to the foreground and becoming more powerful. With an excellent sense of perspective, Ruisdael skillfully conveyed the wide plains and surroundings of Holland. The choice of tone and lighting evokes focus. Ruisdael also loved ruins as decorative details that speak of destruction and the frailty of earthly existence. "Jewish Cemetery" represents a neglected area. Ruisdael was not successful in his time. The realism of his paintings did not correspond to the tastes of society. The artist, now deservedly enjoying worldwide fame, died a poor man in a Harlem almshouse.
Portrait painting. Frans Hals
One of the great Dutch artists was Frans Hals (circa 1580-1666). He was born in the 17th century in Antwerp. As a very young artist he came to Haarlem, where he grew up and was formed in the style of the school of Karel Van Mander. Haarlem was proud of its artist, and they brought eminent guests to his studio - Rubens and Van Dyck.
Hals was almost exclusively a portrait painter, but his art meant a lot not only to Dutch portraiture, but also to the formation of other genres. In Hals’s work, three types of portrait compositions can be distinguished: a group portrait, a commissioned individual portrait, and a special type of portrait images, similar in nature to genre painting.
In 1616, Hals painted “The Banquet of the Officers of the Company of St. George’s Rifle Regiment,” in which he completely broke with the traditional pattern of a group porter. By creating a very lively work, uniting characters into groups and giving them various poses, he seemed to have merged portraiture with genre painting. The work was a success, and the artist was inundated with orders.
His characters stand naturally and freely in the portrait, their posture and gestures seem unstable, and the expression on their faces is about to change. The most remarkable feature of Hals’s creative manner is the ability to convey character through individual facial expressions and gestures, as if caught on the fly - “Cheerful drinking companion”, “Mulatto”, “Smiling officer”. The artist loved emotional states full of dynamics. But in this instant that Hals captured, the most essential, the core of the image of the “Gypsy”, “Malle Baba” is always captured.
However, in the images of Hals from the very end of the 30s and 40s, thoughtfulness and sadness appear, alien to his characters in the portrait of Willem Heythuisen, and sometimes a slight irony slips through in the artist’s attitude towards them. The jubilant acceptance of life and man is gradually disappearing from Khalsa art.
Turning points have come in Khalsa painting. In the portraits of Hals, painted in the 50s and 60s, in-depth mastery of characterization is combined with a new inner meaning. One of the most powerful works of the late Hals is the portrait of a man from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1650-1652). The composition of the portrait is a generational image of the figure, its setting in a clear front, the gaze directed directly at the viewer, the significance of the personality is felt. The man’s posture reveals cold authority and arrogant contempt for everyone. Self-esteem is combined in him with immense ambition. At the same time, a tinge of disappointment is unexpectedly caught in the gaze, as if in this person there lurks regret about the past - about his youth and the youth of his generation, whose ideals are forgotten and life incentives have faded.
Hals's portraits of the 50s and 60s reveal a lot about the Dutch reality of those years. The artist lived a long life, and he had the opportunity to witness the degeneration of Dutch society and the disappearance of its democratic spirit. It is no coincidence that Khalsa art is now going out of fashion. Hals's late works sensitively reflect the spirit of the time, so alien to the master, but in them one can also hear his own disappointment in the surrounding reality. In some works of these years, an echo of the personal feelings of the old artist, who was losing his former glory and had already seen the end of his life's journey, is captured.
Two years before his death, in 1664, Hals painted portraits of the regents and regents (trustees) of the Haarlem nursing home.
In "Portrait of the Regents" everyone is united by a feeling of disappointment and doom. There is no vitality in the regents, as in the early group portraits of Hals. Everyone is lonely, everyone exists on their own. Black tones with reddish-pink spots create a tragic atmosphere.
“Portrait of the Regents” is decided in a different emotional key. In the almost motionless poses of the callous old women, who do not know compassion, one can feel the master’s authority and at the same time, deep depression lives in all of them, a feeling of powerlessness and despair in the face of impending death.
Until the end of his days, Hals retained the infallibility of his skill, and the art of the eighty-year-old painter gained insight and strength.
6. Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt (1606-1669) is the largest representative of the golden age of Dutch painting. Born in Leiden in 1606. To receive an art education, the artist moved to Amsterdam and entered the workshop of Pieter Lastman, and then returned to Leiden, where in 1625 he began an independent creative life. In 1631, Rembrandt finally moved to Amsterdam, and the rest of the master’s life was connected with this city.
Rembrandt's work is imbued with a philosophical understanding of life and the inner world of man. This is the pinnacle of development of Dutch art of the 17th century. Rembrandt's artistic heritage is distinguished by a variety of genres. He painted portraits, still lifes, landscapes, genre scenes, paintings on historical, biblical, and mythological themes. But the artist’s work reached its greatest depth in the last years of his life. The Uffizi has three works by the great master. This is a self-portrait in youth, a self-portrait in old age, a portrait of an old man (rabbi). In many of his later works, the artist plunges the entire surface of the canvas into darkness, focusing the viewer’s attention on the face.
This is how Rembrandt portrayed himself at the age of 23.
The period of moving to Amsterdam was marked in Rembrandt’s creative biography by the creation of many male and female sketches
In 1653, experiencing financial difficulties, the artist transferred almost all of his property to his son Titus, after which he declared bankruptcy in 1656. After selling his house and property, the artist moved to the outskirts of Amsterdam, to the Jewish quarter, where he spent the rest of his life. The closest person to him in those years was, apparently, Titus, because his images are the most numerous. The death of Titus in 1668 was one of the last blows of fate for the artist; he himself died a year later. "Matthew and the Angel" (1661). Perhaps Titus was the model for the angel.
The last two decades of Rembrandt's life became the pinnacle of his skill as a portrait painter. The models are the artist's comrades (Nicholas Breuning
7. Vermeer of Delft Jan
Dutch art painting still life
Vermeer of Delft Jan (1632-1675) - Dutch painter, the largest master of Dutch genre and landscape painting. Vermeer worked in Delft. As an artist, he developed under the influence of Karel Fabritius, who tragically died in the explosion of a gunpowder warehouse.
Vermeer's early paintings have sublime imagery ( Christ with Martha and Mary ). Vermeer's work was strongly influenced by the work of the master of genre painting Pieter de Hooch. The style of this painter was further developed in the paintings of Vermeer.
From the second half of the 50s, Vermeer painted small paintings with one or more figures in the silvery light of a house interior ( Girl with a letter Maid with a jug of milk ). In the late 50s, Vermeer created two masterpieces of landscape painting: a soulful painting street with shining, fresh, clean, colors and paintings View of the city of Delft . In the 60s, Vermeer's work became more refined, and his painting became colder. ( Girl with a pearl earring).
In the late 60s, the artist often depicted richly furnished rooms where ladies and gentlemen played music and had gallant conversations.
In the last years of Vermeer's life, his financial situation deteriorated greatly. The demand for paintings fell sharply, the painter was forced to take out loans to feed eleven children and other family members. This probably hastened the approach of death. It is not known what happened - an acute illness, or depression due to finances, but Vermeer was buried in 1675 in the family crypt in Delft.
Vermeer's individual art after his death was not appreciated by his contemporaries. Interest in him was revived only in the 19th century, thanks to the work of art critic and art historian Etienne Théophile Thoré, who “discovered” Vermeer for the general public.
Conclusion
Appeal to reality helped expand the artistic possibilities of Dutch art and enriched its genre theme. If, until the 17th century, biblical and mythological themes were of great importance in European fine art, and other genres were poorly developed, then in Dutch art the relationship between genres changes dramatically. There is a rise in such genres as: everyday life, portrait, landscape, still life. Biblical and mythological subjects themselves in Dutch art are largely losing their previous forms of embodiment and are now interpreted as everyday paintings.
For all its achievements, Dutch art also carried some specific features of limitation - a narrow range of subjects and motifs. Another disadvantage: only some masters sought to find their deep basis in phenomena.
But in many compositional paintings and portraits, the images are of the deepest nature, and the landscapes show the true and real nature. This became a distinctive feature of Dutch art. Thus, painters made great breakthroughs in art by mastering the difficult and complex skill of painting images of a person's inner world and experiences.
The test gave me the opportunity to test my creative abilities, replenish my theoretical knowledge, and learn more about Dutch artists and their works.
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Dutch artists made a great contribution to the work of masters who began their activities in the 17th century and did not stop until the present time. However, they had an influence not only on their colleagues, but also on professionals in literature (Valentin Proust, Donna Tartt) and photography (Ellen Kooi, Bill Gekas and others).
Beginning of development
In 1648, Holland gained independence, but for the formation of a new state, the Netherlands had to endure an act of revenge on the part of Spain, which killed about 10 thousand people in the Flemish city of Antwerp at that time. As a result of the massacre, the inhabitants of Flanders emigrated from the territories controlled by the Spanish authorities.
Based on this, it would be logical to recognize that the impetus for independent Dutch artists came precisely from Flemish creativity.
Since the 17th century, both state and artistic branches have occurred, leading to the formation of two schools of art, separated by nationality. They had a common origin, but were quite different in their characteristics. While Flanders remained under the wings of Catholicism, Holland experienced a completely new prosperity, starting from the 17th century.
Dutch culture
In the 17th century, the new state had just embarked on the path of its development, completely breaking ties with the art of the past era.
The fight with Spain gradually subsided. The national mood began to be traced in popular circles as they moved away from the Catholic religion previously imposed by the authorities.
Protestant rule had a contradictory view of decoration, which led to a reduction in works on religious themes, and in the future only played into the hands of secular art.
Never before now has the real surrounding reality been depicted so often in paintings. In their works, Dutch artists wanted to show ordinary everyday life without embellishment, refined tastes and nobility.
The secular artistic explosion gave rise to such numerous directions as landscape, portrait, everyday genre and still life (the existence of which even the most developed centers of Italy and France did not know).
The Dutch artists' own vision of realism, expressed in portraits, landscapes, interior works and still life paintings, aroused interest in this skill from all levels of society.
Thus, Dutch art of the 17th century was nicknamed the "Golden Age of Dutch Painting", securing its status as the most outstanding era in painting in the Netherlands.
It is important to know: there is a misconception that the Dutch school depicted only the mediocrity of human existence, but the masters of those times brazenly destroyed the framework with the help of their fantastic works (for example, “Landscape with John the Baptist” by Bloemaert).
Dutch artists of the 17th century. Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn is considered to be one of the largest artistic figures in Holland. In addition to his activities as an artist, he was also engaged in engraving and was rightfully considered a master of chiaroscuro.
His legacy is rich in individual diversity: portraits, genre scenes, still lifes, landscapes, as well as paintings on subjects of history, religion and mythology.
His ability to master chiaroscuro allowed him to enhance the emotional expressiveness and spirituality of a person.
While working on portraits, he worked on human facial expressions.
In connection with the heartbreaking tragic events, his later works were filled with a dim light that exposed people’s deep experiences, as a result of which his brilliant works became of no interest to anyone.
At that time, the fashion was for external beauty without attempts to dive into depth, as well as naturalism, which was at odds with frank realism.
Every Russian lover of fine art can see the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” with his own eyes, since this work is in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Frans Hals
Frans Hals is a great Dutch artist and major portrait painter who helped introduce the genre of free writing into Russian art.
The work that brought him fame was the painting entitled “The Banquet of the Officers of the Rifle Company of St. George,” painted in 1616.
His portrait works were too natural for that time, which was at odds with the present day. Due to the fact that the artist remained misunderstood, he, like the great Rembrandt, ended his life in poverty. "The Gypsy" (1625-1630) is one of his most famous works.
Jan Steen
Jan Steen is one of the most witty and cheerful Dutch artists at first glance. Making fun of social vices, he loved to resort to the art of satire of society. While entertaining the viewer with harmless, funny images of revelers and ladies of easy virtue, he actually warned against such a lifestyle.
The artist also had calmer paintings, for example, the work “Morning Toilet,” which at first glance seemed like an absolutely innocent act. But if you look closely at the details, you can be quite surprised by their revelations: these are traces of stockings that previously squeezed the legs, and a pot filled with something indecent at night, as well as a dog that allows itself to be right on the owner’s pillow.
In his best works, the artist was ahead of his colleagues in his elegantly skillful combination of color palettes and mastery of shadows.
Other Dutch artists
This article listed only three bright people out of dozens who deserve to be on the same list with them:
So, in this article you got acquainted with Dutch artists of the 17th century and their works.
The Netherlands is a unique country that has given the world dozens of outstanding artists. Famous designers, artists and simply talented performers - this is a small list that this small state can flaunt.
The rise of Dutch art
The era of prosperity of the art of realism did not last long in Holland. This period covers the entire 17th century, but the scale of its significance greatly exceeds this chronological framework. Dutch artists of that time became role models for the subsequent generation of painters. So that these words do not sound unfounded, it is worth mentioning the names of Rembrandt and Hals, Potter and Ruisdael, who forever strengthened their status as unsurpassed masters of realistic depiction.
A very significant representative of the Dutch Jan Vermeer. He is considered to be the most mysterious character in the heyday of Dutch painting, since, although famous during his lifetime, he lost interest in his person less than half a century later. Little is known about Vermeer’s biographical information; mostly art historians have explored the history of him by studying his works, but there were difficulties here too - the artist practically did not date his paintings. The most valuable from an aesthetic point of view are considered to be Jan's works "Maid with a Jug of Milk" and "Girl with a Letter".
No less famous and respectable artists were Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, and the brilliant Jan van Eyck. All creators are distinguished by their appeal to everyday life, which is reflected in still lifes, landscapes and portraits.
It left its mark on the subsequent development of French art in the second half of the 17th century and became a model for realistic landscapes created during the Renaissance. Russian realist artists also paid attention to the Dutch. We can safely say that the art of the Netherlands has become progressive and exemplary and has managed to be reflected in the canvases of every outstanding artist who painted natural sketches.
Rembrandt and his legacy
The artist's full name is Rembrandt van Rijn. He was born in the memorable year 1606 into a family that was quite prosperous for those times. Being the fourth child, he still received a good education. The father wanted his son to graduate from the university and become an outstanding figure, but his expectations were not met due to the boy’s low academic performance, and so that all efforts would not be in vain, he was forced to give in to the guy and agree with his desire to become an artist.
Rembrandt's teachers were the Dutch artists Jacob van Swanenburch and Pieter Lastman. The first had rather mediocre skills in painting, but managed to gain respect for his personality, since he spent a long time in Italy, communicating and working with local artists. Rembrandt did not stay with Jacob for long and went in search of another teacher to Amsterdam. There he studied with Peter Lastman, who became a real mentor for him. It was he who taught the young man the art of engraving to the extent that his contemporaries can observe it.
As evidenced by the master’s works, executed in huge quantities, Rembrandt became a fully formed artist by 1628. His sketches were based on any objects, and human faces were no exception. When discussing portraits of Dutch artists, one cannot fail to mention the name of Rembrandt, who from his young age became famous for his remarkable talent in this field. He painted a lot of his father and mother, which are now kept in galleries.
Rembrandt quickly gained popularity in Amsterdam, but did not stop improving. In the 30s of the 17th century, his famous masterpieces “Anatomy Lesson” and “Portrait of Coppenole” were created.
An interesting fact is that at that time Rembrandt married the beautiful Saxia, and a fertile time of abundance and glory began in his life. Young Saxia became the artist’s muse and was embodied in more than one painting, however, as art historians testify, her features are repeatedly found in other portraits of the master.
The artist died in poverty, without losing the fame he had acquired during his lifetime. His masterpieces are concentrated in all major galleries in the world. He can rightfully be called a master whose works represent a synthesis of all medieval realistic painting. Technically, his work cannot be called ideal, since he did not strive for accuracy in the construction of the drawing. The most important artistic aspect that distinguished him from representatives of the schools of painting was his unsurpassed play of chiaroscuro.
Vincent Van Gogh - a genius nugget
Hearing the phrase “great Dutch artists,” many people immediately picture in their heads the image of Vincent Van Gogh, his undeniably beautiful and lush paintings, which were only appreciated after the artist’s death.
This person can be called a unique and brilliant person. Being the son of a pastor, Van Gogh, like his brother, followed in their father's footsteps. Vincent studied theology and even was a preacher in the Belgian town of Borinage. He also works as a commission agent and various moves. However, service in the parish and close contact with the harsh everyday life of miners revived the inner feeling of injustice in the young genius. Contemplating the fields and the life of working people every day, Vincent was so inspired that he began to draw.
Dutch artists are primarily known for their portraits and landscapes. Vincent Van Gogh was no exception. By his thirtieth birthday, he gives up everything and begins to actively engage in painting. This period marks the creation of his famous works “The Potato Eaters” and “The Peasant Woman”. All his works are imbued with frenzied sympathy for ordinary people who feed the whole country, but at the same time can barely feed their own families.
Later, Vincent heads to Paris, and the focus of his work changes somewhat. Intense images and new themes for empathy appear. The half-prison lifestyle and marriage to a prostitute were reflected in his art, which is clearly visible in the paintings “Night Cafe” and “Prisoners’ Walk.”
Friendship with Gauguin
Beginning in 1886, van Gogh became interested in studying plein-air painting by the Impressionists and developed an interest in Japanese prints. It was from that moment that the characteristic features of Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec were visible in the artist’s works. First of all, this can be seen in the change in the transmission of color mood. The works begin to be dominated by brushstrokes of rich yellow color, as well as a blue “sparkle.” The first sketches in a characteristic color scheme were: “Bridge over the Seine” and “Portrait of Father Tanguy”. The latter dazzles with its brightness and bold strokes.
The friendship between Gauguin and Van Gogh was of a correlational nature: they mutually influenced creativity, although they used different expressive tools, actively exchanged gifts in the form of their own paintings and argued tirelessly. The difference between the characters, the insecure position of Vincent, who believed that his pictorial manners were “rural bestial,” gave rise to controversy. In some ways, Gauguin was a more down-to-earth personality than V an Gogh. The passions in their relationship became so intense that one day they quarreled in their favorite cafe and Vincent threw a glass of absinthe at Gauguin. The quarrel did not end there, and the next day there followed a long series of accusations towards Gauguin, who, according to Van Gogh, was guilty of everything. It was at the end of this story that the Dutchman was so furious and depressed that he cut off part of his ear, which he kindly gave it as a gift to a prostitute.
Dutch artists, regardless of the era of their lives, have repeatedly proven to society their unsurpassed manner of transferring moments of life onto canvas. However, perhaps no one in the world has ever been able to earn the title of genius without having the slightest understanding of drawing techniques, composition and methods of artistic expression. Vincent Van Gogh is a unique genius who managed to achieve worldwide recognition thanks to his perseverance, purity of spirit and exorbitant thirst for life.
Until the end of the 16th century, Dutch painting was inseparably linked with Flemish painting and had the general name of the “Netherlands school”. Both of them, being a branch of German painting, consider the van Eyck brothers to be their ancestors and have been moving in the same direction for a long time, developing the same technique, so that the artists of Holland are no different from their Flanders and Brabant brothers.
When the Dutch people got rid of the oppression of Spain, Dutch painting acquired a national character. Dutch artists are distinguished by their reproduction of nature with special love in all its simplicity and truth and a subtle sense of color.
The Dutch were the first to understand that even in inanimate nature everything breathes life, everything is attractive, everything is capable of evoking thought and exciting the movement of the heart.
Among landscape painters who interpret their native nature, Jan van Goyen (1595-1656) is especially respected, who, together with Ezaias van de Velde (c. 1590-1630) and Pieter Moleyn the Elder (1595-1661), is considered the founder of the Dutch landscape.
But the artists of Holland cannot be divided into schools. The expression “Dutch school of painting” is very arbitrary. In Holland, there were organized societies of artists, which were free corporations that protected the rights of their members and did not influence creative activity.
The name of Rembrandt (1606-1669) shines especially brightly in history, in whose personality all the best qualities of Dutch painting were concentrated and his influence was reflected in all its types - in portraits, historical paintings, everyday scenes and landscapes.
In the 17th century, everyday painting developed successfully, the first experiments of which were noted in the old Dutch school. In this genre, the most famous names are Cornelis Beg (1620-64), Richart Brackenburg (1650-1702), Cornelis Dusart (1660-1704) Henrik Roques, nicknamed Sorg (1621-82),
Artists who painted scenes of military life can be classified as genre painters. The main representative of this branch of painting is the famous and extraordinarily prolific Philips Wouwerman (1619-68)
In a special category we can single out masters who in their paintings combined landscapes with images of animals. The most famous among such painters of rural idyll is Paulus Potter (1625-54); Albert Cuyp (1620-91).
Dutch artists paid the greatest attention to the sea.
In the work of Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611 or 1612-93), his famous son Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707), Ludolf Backhuisen (1631-1708), painting of sea views was their specialty.
In the field of still life, the most famous were Jan-Davids de Gem (1606-83), his son Cornelis (1631-95), Abraham Mignon (1640-79), Melchior de Gondecoeter (1636-95), Maria Osterwijk (1630-93) .
The brilliant period of Dutch painting did not last long - only one century.
Since the beginning of the 18th century. its decline is coming, the reason for this is the tastes and views of the pompous era of Louis XIV. Instead of a direct relationship to nature, love of what is native and sincerity, the dominance of preconceived theories, convention, and imitation of the luminaries of the French school is established. The main propagator of this regrettable trend was the Flemish Gerard de Leresse (1641-1711), who settled in Amsterdam.
The decline of the school was also facilitated by the famous Adrian van de Werff (1659-1722), whose dull coloring of his paintings once seemed the height of perfection.
Foreign influence weighed heavily on Dutch painting until the twenties of the 19th century.
Subsequently, Dutch artists turned to their antiquity - to strict observation of nature.
The latest Dutch painting by landscape painters is especially rich. These include Andreas Schelfhout (1787-1870), Barent Koekkoek (1803-62), Anton Mauwe (1838-88), Jacob Maris (b. 1837), Johannes Weissenbruch (1822-1880) and others.
Among the newest marine painters in Holland, the palm belongs to Johannes Schotel (1787-1838).
Wouters Verschoor (1812-74) showed great skill in painting animals.
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