Dutch Realism
Dutch Realism Goals: “Genre” Paintings Provide Protestant middle-class w/ small-scale, affordable, portable artwork Display everyday life as realistically as possible Praise the lives & accomplishments of the middle class “Genre” Paintings Still life Portraits Landscapes/Cityscapes
Characteristics of Dutch Realism: Chiaroscuro contrast b/t light & dark Usually one light source (ex. a window) Imitated Caravaggio’s use of light & shadow Realism detail in fabrics, facial expressions, etc Intimate Settings indoor scenes w/in middle-class homes Allegories symbols/themes w/in paintings
Woman Holding a Balance - Jan Vermeer, 1662-63
Woman Holding a Balance (details) - Jan Vermeer, 1662-63
The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642
Dutch Militia Portrait from Frans Hals & Pieter Codde
Honorable Mention
Still Life with Gilt Goblet William Heda, 1635 “Genre” Painting
The Merry Drinker (1628-30)– Frans Hals
View of Doerdrecht Aelbert Cuyp, 1650s
The Little Street – Jan Vermeer, 1657-1661
Two Giants Of Dutch Realism
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) Self-portrait, c. 1629-30
Anatomy Lecture of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp – Rembrandt, 1632
The Mill– Rembrandt van Rijn, 1645-48
The Astronomer Jan Vermeer, 1668
Girl with a Pearl Earring Jan Vermeer, 1665
Jan Vermeer and Optics Did Vermeer use some of the new discoveries in optics? Did he use lenses to project the image of the subject [camera obscura] onto the canvas? It is argued that van Leeuwenhoek was the model for his painting, “The Astronomer.”
Camera Obscura