BAROQUE IN FLANDERS & HOLLAND
17TH CENTURY
During this period, Holland gained independence from Spain and became Protestant and
democratic.
The Result:
 The Church and the Monarchy were no longer art patrons
 The Protestant Church did not allow for art in churches
 A new market for art is created due to demand for landscapes, cityscapes, ideal
country scenes, parties, still lifes and portraits
Artist
Judith Leyster (1609-1660) HOLLAND
Best-known female painter of the 17th century
Unique style and not influenced much by other artists
Genre painter: one of the first to paint intimate genre paintings
Artwork
Boy with Flute, 1635
 Intimacy is demonstrated by the depiction of the boy, who is completely selfabsorbed in playing the flute.
 The instruments hanging on the wall balance the boy sitting on the chair.
 Light source is from unseen window on the left
Artwork
Self-Portrait, 1630
 Casual pose
 She is as cheerful as the violinist whom she paints
Artist
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) FLANDERS
 Produced over 2000 paintings!
 Set up a workshop with hired assistants to paint in still-life objects, flowers and
landscapes.
 Assistants often started his figures, which he would later finish.
 He would add his own brushstrokes and finishing glazes to the artwork if people
paid enough!
Characteristics
1. Swirling physical movement
2. Colourful
3. Energetic brushstrokes
Artwork
Lion Hunt, 1616
 From 1616-1618 Rubens painted huge works about hunting exotic animals.
 Rubens uses the straight swords to stabilize the intertwined composition and to bring
the eye back to the centre.
 In his later years, his work became calmer.
Artist
Frans Hals (1580-1666)
Characteristics:
Portraiture
Developed a technique using slashing brushstrokes
Captured quick facial expressions with accuracy
Loose painterly feeling
Paints common people, especially his friends
Artwork
Yonker Ramp and His Sweetheart, not dated
 Hal paints his friend, who appears in many of his paintings.
 Quick brushstrokes are used to add to the feeling of spontaneity and action.
Artist
Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) HOLLAND
Considered to be one of the finest Dutch painters
He may have used a camera obscura to achieve his absolute realism. Unlike Northern
Renaissance painters, who painted each object in perfect focus and ignored reflected
colours, Vermeer painted objects in different focuses and painted the reflection of colours
from one object to another.
Characteristics:
1. Slow and meticulous
2. Most paintings are portraits or interior views
3. Natural light from a window to the left
4. Realistic and subtle colour
5. Chiaroscuro
6. Map or painting used as a background shape behind the figure
7. Foreground shapes are slightly out of focus
Artwork
Woman Holding a Balance, 1664
Symbolism
 Painting on the wall – Christ on Judgment Day, weighing the souls of humanity
 Pregnant woman is weighing the pearls and gold. Pearls represent earthly
possessions. The pregnancy means new life.
Artwork
Allegory of the Art of Painting, 1665-1672
Possible Symbolism
 Model is Clio, Muse of History, looking at a table with objects that symbolize other
Muses.
 The artist in a 16th century could possibly by Vermeer
 The map of Holland, surrounded by pictures of twenty cities represents Holland as
the centre of the art world and the painter is the greatest creator.
Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn (1601-1669) HOLLAND
The greatest of Dutch painters
 Painted many self-portraits
 The progress and decline of Rembrandt’s fortunes may be seen through his clothes
and facial expressions in his self-portraits.
 Eyes are important to Rembrandt to express the inner feelings and character of the
sitter.
Artwork
Self-Portrait, 1636
 Successful and well-dressed
 Use of chiaroscuro
 Heavy white impasto (thick paint) in the brightest areas
 Applied glazes over them in the deep shadows to obtain golden tones.
 Light values emerge from the dark brown shadows
Artwork
The Night Watch, 1642
Revolutionized the concept of group portrait painting
Placed Captain Cocq and his lieutenant in the central position and placed the rest of the
men at random to simulate natural action.