The Golden Age of Dutch painting is one of the most outstanding eras in the history of all world painting. The golden age of Dutch painting is considered 17th century... It was at this time that the most talented artists and painters created their immortal works. Their paintings are still considered unsurpassed masterpieces that are kept in famous museums around the world and are considered an invaluable heritage of mankind.

At the beginning 17th century in Holland, a rather primitive art still flourished, which was justified by the down-to-earth tastes and preferences of the rich and powerful people. As a result of political, geopolitical and religious changes, Dutch art has changed dramatically. If before that the artists tried to pander to the Dutch burghers, depicting their life and everyday life, devoid of any lofty and poetic language, and also worked for the church, which ordered artists of a rather primitive genre with long-worn subjects, then the beginning of the 17th century was a real breakthrough. In Holland, the dominance of Protestants reigned, who practically ceased to order paintings on religious themes from artists. Holland became independent from Spain and asserted itself on the general historical podium. The artists moved from the previously familiar themes to the depiction of everyday scenes, portraits, landscapes, still lifes and so on. Here, in a new field, the artists of the golden age seemed to have a new breath and real geniuses of art began to appear.

Dutch artists of the 17th century brought realism into fashion in painting. Stunning in their component parts, in realism, in depth and unusualness, the paintings began to enjoy tremendous success. The demand for painting has increased dramatically. As a result, more and more artists began to appear, who at an amazingly fast pace developed the foundations of painting, developed new techniques, styles and genres. Some of the most famous artists of the Golden Age were: Jan Vermeer, Cornelis Trost, Matthias Stom, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Esayas van de Velde, Frans Hals, Andrian Brouwer, Cornelis de Man, Anthony van Dyck and many others.

Dutch Paintings

Cornelis de Man - Whale Oil Processing Manufactory

Cornelis Trost - Fun in the Park

Ludolph Bakhuisen - East India Campaign Dock in Amsterdam

Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Catastrophe of the Alchemist

Rembrandt - Andris de Gref

The main religion is Protestantism. The Dutch began to create a portrait of Holland. These are portraits of their war winners, landscapes, still lifes, genre or everyday painting appeared. These are paintings with a black and white composition of the Baroque era. For the first time, the specialization of artists appears here. Only masters of still life or landscape appeared. 12 types of landscapes: urban, sea, dune, waterfalls, forest landscape. At the very beginning of Dutch art, portraiture became the main focus. In the first half of the 17th century, the greatest portrait painter in Holland is Frans Hals.

Creativity of Frans Hals.

Born in 1574 in Antvarpan. Then his family moved to Haarlem. There he studied with the artist Van Mander. Van Mander created biographies of major Dutch artists. Frans Hals managed to make a whole revolution in portraiture. Hals brings dynamics to portraits. "Banquet of officers of the company of St. George" - the first work that brought him popularity. Khals depicts officers during a feast, each officer is depicted in his turn. An active diagonal is obtained in the picture. Everything is based on the principle of asymmetry. It is active in color.

Hals paints his portraits very quickly using an open dynamic brushstroke. "Tsiganka"... The name is very arbitrary. " Mali Babe "- an open, strongly thrown stroke. At this time, in almost all of Hals's works, all of his characters are smiling. "Smiling Cavalier".

The dynamics in the portrait are especially active. William Van Gate Heisen... Not a single picture of Khalsa has survived. Most likely he painted his portraits without drawing and painted very quickly.

Hals painted Van Dyck in two hours. Van Dijk invited him to go with him to England.

Boon companion. Written in the same fast and dynamic manner in which Hals loved to write.

Hals also painted serious portraits: "Portrait of Peter Van Den Brocke", the portrait is commissioned, therefore Hals paints in detail, a very restrained and laconic portrait René Descartes. Family portrait, the landscape was painted for him by Peter Molyne. Female portrait - very expressive portrait of Hals. Portrait Isaac Mas and his wife - a portrait of his friend.

At the age of 30, he painted a picture portrait of the Officers of the company of St. Adrian. Each figure has its own turn and movement. In the 40s, Khalsa's painting changed dramatically. At this time, the portrait of Van Dyck came into vogue. Portraits of the 40-50s - portraits with a predominance of black. Of them portrait of the Regent of the nursing home. There are 27 shades of black in this portrait. One of the last works of Hals - Regents of the nursing home. The image of old age emerges. The decay of the flesh conveys in the portrait. He paints a portrait in a completely different way. Regents of St. Elizabeth's Hospital. In the portrait, you can clearly see the selection of figures with a triangle, each face is clearly visible. During his life, Hals created more than 200 paintings. There is a museum of him in Haarlem. Almost all the works are collected there.

The work of Rembrandt Van Rijn.

This is one of the great artists of the 17th century. Born in 1606 in the family of a miller in the city of Leiden. The boy was initially very gifted. Rembrandt studies for a while at the university. He was 14 years old when he felt his vocation for painting and left the university. He rents a barn on the banks of the river and creates his own school at the age of 16. Artists such as Dow are studying at his school. The first works they wrote - Expulsion of the merchants from the temple. In his first works, he talks about belonging to the Baroque. The work has a diagonal composition, light and shadow composition. His self-portrait was painted in Leiden. Unusual work with texture. At this time, the Minister of Holland arrives and buys several works by Rembrandt. Rembrandt leaves Leidan and goes to Amsterdam, where he enters the studio of the artist Lastman. An unreal light appears in the works. This is especially noticeable in the picture. Thomas's disbelief . In Amsterdam, he receives his first commission for a group portrait – Anatomy of Dr. Tulip . Here he painted a picture Sacrifice of Abraham. Prophet Jeremiah on the ruins of Jerusalem. In the painting, the saint's head emits light. His success in painting led him to marry Saski Van Elenburg. Rembrandt buys a palace in Amsterdam. Self-portrait with Sasuke kneeling. Saski with a flower. That year when Sasuke is sick, Rembrandt receives an order for a group portrait of Captain Kok's company - The night Watch. It depicts the exit of the shooters to the exercises. The painting is a masterpiece by Rembrandt of the 40s. The picture is built on subordination. A long trial began over Rembrandt's debts. David's Farewell to Jonathan written in one year since Night watch. The painting was acquired by Peter I and it became one of the first paintings in the Hermitage.

Danae.

Hendrike's maid became Rembrandt's reliable assistant. She will become the second wife of Rembrandt. In the picture Holy family with angels, in this picture there are two light diagonals, the picture is permeated with warm light. Gendrike appears in a portrait - Hendrike at the window, Bathing woman, Versavia, in the history of the picture lies the story of David and Versavia.

David and Uriah - light plays a huge role in the picture.

Portrait of Jan Sixx. All attention is focused on the face.

Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis. This is the only painting from the history of the Dutch by Rembrandt .

Portrait of an old man in red. Portrait biography. A portrait in time.

Portrait of an old Jew. In this portrait, only the main thing is highlighted: the face and hands.

Portrait of an elderly woman. In this portrait, the subtlest transitions from light to shadow.

Portet reading Titus.

Portrait of the poet Decker.

Asur, Aman, Isfir. The main work from the last paintings of Rembrandt. The picture is based on a very complex lighting solution.

Rembrandt writes a repetition of this picture Haman asking Isfir for forgiveness.

Rembrandt receives a commission for a group portrait - Syndics.

Jewish bride. The theme of love is the main one in this picture. This is a favorite painting by Van Gogh and Soutine.

Family portre. Group portrait. An imaginary portrait of his family.

Two self-portraits.

In 66-68, Rembrandt paints a picture Return of the Prodigal Son which concludes his work.

Seimon in the temple. His last picture.

Rembrandt dies in 1669. He had many students: Gerard Dow, Fabricius, Gelder, one of the last students of Rembrandt. His school existed until the end of the 17th century.

Topics for offset:

German revival.

Italian Baroque. Baroque architecture. Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Boromini and Carlo Moderno. Sculpture by Bernini. Two painters Caravaggio and Anibali Karachi. Rubens. Van Dyck. Jordaens. Snyders. Browver.

Dutch landscape of the 17th century.

Jan Fan Goyen.

It is characterized by river landscapes.

Windmill by the river - characteristic Dutch landscape.

River landscape.

Almost always in his works, the light in the sky is reflected on the ground.

Salomon Reizdal

He painted landscapes in the early morning.

Landscape with a cart - a characteristic landscape for this painter.

Ferry crossing. Windy morning

He brought up one of the main 17th century painters, Jacob Reizad.

Jacob Reizdal.

View of Edmond. Light in the sky, rhythmic landscape, vertical bell tower exactly matches the vertical format.

Jacob painted all 12 landscapes and created several of them himself.

Reisadl was a great master of the forest landscape.

Already contemporaries noted that Reizdal is a forest psychologist. Each tree has its own portrait Writes a Biography of the tree.

Forest landscape.

Lake among the Trees. In the foreground is a fallen tree, next to it is a dry tree, and in the depths are young birches. There are several tree ages. He transfers this technique to a series of paintings:

River in the forest

Oak forest

Swamp

Forest landscape

Road

Panoramic landscape: Beintheir castle, landscape with castle ruins and a church.

Mill in Vecca. Reizdal's main landscape. Reizdal deliberately enlarges the mill. This landscape is one of the symbols of Holland.

The three main works of Holland: Night Watch, Mill in Vecca, view of the city of Delta.

Two paintings with one title: Jewish cemetery. Imaginary drawing. It conveys the state during a thunderstorm. In the foreground is a dry, but still living tree. A running stream is a symbol of fast-flowing life. The tree is depicted against the background of a living and lush tree. In the foreground is a tombstone with a portrait of the artist himself and the signature of Reizdal. In the depths we see the temple, which is almost destroyed and at the same time we see how after the thunderstorm a rainbow appears - a symbol of hope. The central lightning strike is the monument. The picture has a repetition, it creates an even sharper sense of life and death. The second picture is very dark, the contrast of dry and green wood is very sharply depicted. The slab with the portrait of Reizdal appears again and the temple has changed its appearance, like a creature with huge eye sockets - the image of a dying world. Reizdal is considered the creator philosophical landscape.

Reizdal painted winter landscapes such as: Winter landscape, Winter which reveals the theme of loneliness. Reizdal is the author of the mood landscape.

He was also a master of marine painting: Storm at sea, Seashore.

He was a master of urban landscape: View of Amsterdam with the Amstel River, View of Haarlem ( view of his hometown).

In recent years, Reizdal has painted a lot of landscapes depicting waterfalls: Rocky landscape with a waterfall, a waterfall in Norway, a waterfall.

Two mills- an unusual landscape, one mill is clearly visible, and the second is in the depths.

Mountain landscape with a sailboat - one of the last works of Reizdal. In this work, he sums up his life. This is a poetic, lyrical landscape.

Creativity of Mendet Hobeme.

Was a student of Reizdal.

Alley amidships in Harls. He was the first to paint landscapes from nature. Sometimes he painted landscapes from landscape drawings.

Was popular in England and contributed to the English landscape. Thomas Gainsbrat, Turner, John Constable relied on the work of Hobeme and Reizdal.

Greatest master of realistic landscape. In addition to the English landscape, the beginning of the French national landscape was manifested in many ways.

Questions about the tickets:

The work of Rembrandt.

Having won a victory in the struggle against Spain for its independence, bourgeois Holland became the most economically developed state in Western Europe. The main Dutch city of Amsterdam has been identified as one of the largest shopping centers in Europe.

Together with the economy, Dutch painting is also developing. Unlike other Western European countries, baroque paintings of palaces and castles were not popular in Holland - the weakness of the nobility served as an obstacle to the development of decorative arts. The Calvinist Church in Holland also did not seek to decorate its temples with paintings.

Nevertheless, painting flourished in Holland: artists received numerous orders from private individuals. Even Dutch peasants could hang a small picture in their home - these works of artists were so cheap.

In the XVII century. over two thousand artists worked in little Holland. They put the production of paintings on stream, produced canvases in whole batches and handed them over to sellers. Almost every master performed from two to five compositions per week.

Often, the production of paintings outstripped demand, therefore, in order to feed themselves, the artists had to simultaneously do other work. Such famous masters as J. Steen, M. Gobbema, J. van Goyen and many others were at the same time employees, gardeners, and innkeepers.

Usually painters specialized in one specific topic. For example, H. Averkamp painted winter views, E. van der Poole portrayed night fires, G. Terborch and G. Metsu - everyday scenes, P. Claes and V. K. Heda - breakfast still lifes.

Very often, artists worked collectively on one picture: one painted the sky, the other - grass and trees, the third - human figures. The most successful works that were successful with the public were copied and served as a model for the creation of countless variations.

Although the art of talented painters was subordinated to commercial purposes, the masters usually managed to avoid falsity. Most of these canvases are distinguished by realism, integrity and clarity of composition, fresh color and excellent technique of execution.

The portrait genre became widespread in Dutch painting. A large role in the life of the country was played by various organizations (the shooting society, groups of representatives of the medical corporation and trade workshops), which contributed to the emergence of a group public portrait.

The long-term struggle with the Spanish colonialists sharpened the sense of national identity, therefore, in painting, in addition to realism, the depiction of characteristic national features was especially welcomed. Artists painted the sea and ships, cattle, flowers. In addition to the portrait, such genres as landscape and still life developed. There was also religious painting, but there was no element of mysticism in it; biblical stories were presented
artist rather like everyday scenes.

Frans Hals

Frans Hals was born around 1581 in Antwerp to the family of a weaver. As a teenager, he came to Haarlem, where he lived almost without a break until his death (in 1616 he visited Antwerp, and in the mid-1630s - Amsterdam). Little is known about Hals' life. In 1610 he entered the guild of St. Luke, and in 1616 - into the chamber of rhetoricians (amateur actors).

Hals quickly became one of the most famous portrait painters in Haarlem. In the XV-XVI centuries. In the painting of the Netherlands, there was a tradition to paint portraits only of representatives of the ruling circles, famous people and artists. Hals's art is deeply democratic: in his portraits we can see an aristocrat, a wealthy city dweller, an artisan and even a person from the very bottom. The artist does not try to idealize the depicted, the main thing for him is their naturalness and originality. His nobles behave in the same relaxed manner as representatives of the lower strata of society, who are depicted in Hals's paintings as cheerful people, not devoid of self-esteem.

The group portrait occupies an important place in the painter's work. The best works of this genre were portraits of officers of the rifle company of St. George (1627) and the rifle company of St. Adrian (1633). Each character in the paintings has its own vivid personality, and at the same time, these works are distinguished by their integrity.

Khals also painted custom-made portraits, in which wealthy burghers and their families are placed in casual poses (Portrait of Isaac Massa, 1626; Portrait of Hetheisen, 1637). Huls's images are lively and dynamic, it seems that people in the portraits are talking to an invisible interlocutor or are addressing the viewer.

Representatives of the folk environment in the portraits of Khalsa are distinguished by their vivid expressiveness and spontaneity. In the images of street boys, fishermen, musicians, visitors to taverns, the author's sympathy and respect is felt. His "Gypsy" is remarkable. A smiling young woman seems surprisingly alive, her sly gaze is directed at the interlocutor invisible to the audience. Hals does not idealize his model, but the image of a cheerful, disheveled gypsy woman delights with her perky charm.

Very often, Huls's portraits include elements of a genre scene. These are the images of children singing or playing musical instruments (The Singing Boys, 1624-1625). The famous "Malle Babbe" (early 1630s) was performed in the same spirit, representing the well-known tavern keeper in Haarlem, whom visitors called the Harlem witch behind their backs. The artist almost grotesquely depicted a woman with a huge beer mug and an owl on her shoulder.

In the 1640s. there are signs of a turning point in the country. Only a few decades have passed since the victory of the revolution, and the bourgeoisie has ceased to be a progressive class based on democratic traditions. The veracity of Hals' painting no longer attracts wealthy clients who want to see themselves in portraits better than they really are. But Hulse did not abandon realism, and his popularity plummeted. In the painting of this period, notes of sadness and disappointment appear ("Portrait of a Man in a Wide-brimmed Hat"). His palette becomes stricter and calmer.

At the age of 84, Hals creates two of his masterpieces: group portraits of the regents (trustees) and the regent of the asylum for the elderly (1664). These latest works of the Dutch master are distinguished by emotionality and bright personality of the images. The images of the regents - old men and women - breathe with sadness and death. This feeling is also emphasized by the color, sustained in black, gray and white tones.

Hals died in 1666 in deep poverty. His true, life-affirming art has greatly influenced many Dutch artists.

Rembrandt

In the 1640-1660s. Dutch painting was flourishing. The most significant artist of this time was Rembrandt.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in 1606 in Leiden. His father was a wealthy miller. Parents dreamed of a good education for their son and assigned him to a Latin school, after which Rembrandt entered the University of Leiden. But the young man was attracted by art. He left the university and began studying with the painter Jacob Svannenburch. Three years later, the young artist went to Amsterdam, where he began to take lessons from Peter Lastman.

In 1624, Rembrandt returned to Leiden. Here he, together with the painter Jan Lievens, rented a studio. The artist works a lot from life, he paints not only in the studio, but also on the street and in the city bazaar.

At the end of the 1620s. Rembrandt gained popularity among the people of Leiden. He received many orders and his first student - Gerard Dow, who later became a fairly famous painter.

Rembrandt's early paintings are characterized by meticulous composition and conscientiousness in execution. At the same time, they are characterized by some constraint ("The Torment of St. Sebastian", 1625).

In 1631, Rembrandt settled in Amsterdam. The fame of him very quickly spread throughout the city, and orders fell on the painter. Rembrandt's personal life was also successful: in 1634 he married Saskia van Eulenburg, a girl from a well-known bourgeois family. The marriage brought the artist a significant fortune, which provided him with creative independence and allowed him to engage in collecting works of art and antiques.

Rembrandt enjoyed happiness in the company of his beloved wife, whom he portrayed many times. Often Saskia served as a model for paintings with a wide variety of subjects (Flora, 1634; Self-portrait with Saskia on her knees, c. 1639).

Rembrandt's work during this period is diverse, he writes historical, mythological and religious compositions, portraits, everyday scenes, landscapes, still lifes, paintings with images of animals. But the main object of his attention is a person. Not only in portraits, but also in his other works, the artist seeks to convey the character and inner world of his heroes.

A remarkable master of the portrait genre, only in the 1630s. Rembrandt performed more than sixty commissioned portraits. The main thing for a painter is not an external resemblance to a model, but the depth of the inner world, the strength of emotional movements and experiences. The group portrait "Anatomy of Doctor Tulpa" (1632) was greeted with delight by his contemporaries. The artist made changes to the traditional composition of the classic group portrait, arranging the figures not in a row, as was customary, but freely. This construction gave the image liveliness and naturalness.

At the end of the 1630s. Rembrandt became the most famous craftsman in Holland. His masterpiece, the famous "Danae" (1636), belongs to this period, the mastery of which surpasses everything that was created by his contemporaries.
artist. The perfection of its composition and the richness of colors, sustained in golden shades, amazes. It seems that there is nothing superfluous in this work, every detail is carefully thought out by the author. With the help of a free and lively brushstroke, the master conveys the lightness of the bedspread, folds of heavy curtains and draperies. The flexible plastic of a young woman lying on the bed is striking, the pale golden shades of the body illuminated by soft light. Although Danae does not shine with ideal beauty, her image delights the viewer with lively charm and freshness.

In the 1630s. the artist also works a lot in etching. He is attracted by everyday motives ("The seller of rat poison", 1632). Elements of genre are also inherent in works with biblical themes (The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1636). One of the best etchings of this period is The Death of Mary (1639), emotional and imbued with a sense of deep sorrow. The complexity of the composition and the monumental grandeur of the images is also distinguished by the remarkable work "Christ Healing the Sick" (the so-called "A Hundred Guilder Leaf" - this name speaks of the value of the work).

In the 1640s. Rembrandt becomes the most famous and highest paid painter in Amsterdam. He was commissioned for portraits and compositions for the Dutch Stadtholder Palace in The Hague. Many aspiring artists are eager to study in his workshop. The fame of Rembrandt's art goes beyond the borders of Holland. Several paintings by the famous master are kept in the palace of the English king Charles I.

Rembrandt's talent manifested itself in his realistic and expressive still lifes ("Carcass of a bull") and landscapes ("Landscape with a mill", c. 1650). Subtle lyricism is inherent in unassuming Dutch landscapes, striking the viewer with their almost tangible reality.

The death of his beloved wife in 1642 alienated Rembrandt from her noble relatives. The artist stopped communicating with his acquaintances from the aristocratic society. The changes in the master's life were reflected in his painting, which becomes deeper and more focused. If the early works of Rembrandt are distinguished by a calm and even mood, now in his paintings notes of anxiety and doubt begin to sound. The palette is also changing, which is dominated by red and golden shades.

The canvas "David and Jonathan" (1642, Hermitage, St. Petersburg), executed in golden-pink and golden-blue tones, is distinguished by its vivid expressiveness.

All these new features in Rembrandt's painting did not meet with understanding among his contemporaries. Discontent was caused by the large monumental composition "Night Watch" (1642). The painting received this name in the 19th century. In fact, the action takes place not at night, but during the day, in sunlight, which confirms the nature of the shadows.

Over time, the colors darkened, and only the restoration carried out in 1946-1947 showed that the color scheme of this work was once much lighter.

The painting shows the arrows of Captain Banning Cock's company. The customer expected to see a traditional ceremonial portrait (a scene of a feast or the presentation by a commander of his subordinates to the viewer). Rembrandt also created a
Roiko-historical canvas depicting the performance of the shooters on the orders of the captain. The characters are agitated and dynamic; the commander gives orders, the standard-bearer raises the banner, the drummer beats the drum, the shooters are loading the weapon. Here, it is not clear where the little girl who has come from with a rooster at her belt is spinning.

During these years, Hendrickje Stoffels appears in the life of Rembrandt, first a servant, and then his wife, who became his faithful friend and helper. The artist still works hard. He creates his famous "The Holy Family" (1645), in which the religious theme is treated as a genre one. Along with the biblical compositions, the painter performs realistic landscapes with images of the village ("Winter View", 1646). His portraits from this period are distinguished by the desire to show the individual traits of the models.

In the 1650s. the number of orders is significantly reduced. Rembrandt is experiencing great financial difficulties. He faces complete ruin, because the debt associated with the purchase of a house during the life of Saskia's first wife has not yet been paid. In 1656 the artist was declared insolvent, and his art collection and all property were sold at auction. The Rembrandt family had to move to the poor Jewish quarter of Amsterdam.

Despite all the hardships, the talent of the great painter does not dry out. But now the criterion for his skill is completely different. In the later works of Rembrandt, colorful strokes show up sharply on the surface of the canvas. Now the colors in his paintings serve not only to convey the external appearance of the characters and the image of the interior - it is the color that takes on the semantic load of the work. Thus, the feeling of intense drama in the painting "Assur, Aman and Esther" (1660) is created through a complex tonal range and special lighting effects.

Deprived of orders, living in deep poverty, Rembrandt does not stop writing. He creates expressive and spiritual portraits, models for which are relatives and friends ("Portrait of the Artist's Brother's Wife", 1654; "Portrait of an Old Man in Red", 1652-1654; "Portrait of Titus's Son Reading", 1657; "Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels at windows ", about 1659).

Son Titus, who finally received the state of his deceased mother, is trying to protect his father from material hardships and create conditions for him to work quietly. But misfortunes continue to haunt the artist: in 1663 Hendrickje dies, and a few years later Titus followed her.

It was during this tragic time that the old lonely artist created his masterpieces, distinguished by monumental grandeur and spirituality (David and Uriah, 1665-1666; Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1668-1669).

Rembrandt died in 1669, forgotten by everyone. Only in the 18th century. his art was finally understood and appreciated.

In the 1640-1660s. the genre was the leading genre in Dutch painting. Pictures depicting the most ordinary moments of reality are surprisingly poetic and lyrical. The main object of attention of painters is a person and the world around him. Most of the genre compositions are characterized by a calm narrative and lack of drama. They talk about the household chores of the hostess of the house (buying food, taking care of children, doing handicrafts), about the entertainment of the Dutch burgher (playing cards, receiving guests, concerts). Artists depict everything that happens in the house of a wealthy city dweller, ignoring the public side of a person's life.

Genre painters enjoyed great popularity: G. Dow, whose paintings were sold at a very high price, A. van Ostade, who painted scenes of peasant life ("Country Concert"), J. Sten, whose favorite themes were scenes of fun and holidays ("Merry Society" ), G. Terborch, whose graceful painting represented the life of a wealthy burgher family ("Glass of Lemonade"), G. Metsu with his ingenuous narration ("Sick Child"), P. de Hooch, who created contemplative lyrical canvases ("The Mistress and the Servant ").

K. Fabricius, who lived a short life (died in Delft in the explosion of a powder warehouse), sought to expand the scope of the genre genre. One of his best works is The Resurrection of Lazarus (c. 1643), which is notable for its drama and almost monumental scope. His portraits and self-portraits are also remarkable, placing the artist on a par with F. Hals and Rembrandt.

The fate of E. de Fabricius, a talented master of the domestic scene and works depicting church interiors ("Market in the Port", "Interior with a Woman at the Harpsichord"), is tragic. The artist did not seek to pander to the tastes of the bourgeois public, so his works, which did not have success with contemporaries, were sold for a pittance. Often, Fabricius was forced to repay debts to homeowners. On a winter night in 1692, a seventy-five-year-old artist, thrown out of his house by the owner, hanged himself on the railing of a bridge. A similar fate was typical for many Dutch painters who did not want to abandon realistic traditions to please the public.

Jan Wermeer Delft

A prominent representative of Dutch genre painting is Jan Wermer, nicknamed Delft after his birthplace and work. The painter was born in 1623 in the family of a merchant in paintings and silk. Little is known about Vermeer's life. Perhaps his teacher was K. Fabricius. In 1653 the artist became a member of the guild of St. Luke and married the daughter of a wealthy city dweller Katerina Bolnes. In Delft, he was respected and famous, lived in a large house located on the market square.

Vermeer worked on his paintings very slowly and thoroughly, carefully writing out every detail. Painting could not provide the artist's family with a comfortable existence, although his canvases enjoyed great success. This is probably why Vermeer began to trade in paintings, continuing the work of his father.

Already in the first works of Vermeer, a combination of realism and a certain amount of idealization of images, characteristic of his work, appears ("Diana with the Nymphs", "Christ with Martha and Mary" - both up to 1656). The next work - the large-figured canvas "At the Pimp" (1656), written on a plot used by many painters, is distinguished by its originality of execution. The artist's ordinary everyday scene acquires an almost monumental significance. The painting stands out among other works with a similar theme for its bold color, sustained in pure yellow, red, black and white colors, and bright expressiveness of images.

Later, Vermeer turned to chamber compositions traditional for Dutch painting. Like other Dutch masters, he depicts events taking place in wealthy burgher houses. The artist's favorite image is a girl reading a letter or trying on a necklace. His canvases represent unsophisticated everyday scenes: the maid gives her mistress a letter, the gentleman brings the lady a glass of wine. But these paintings, simple in composition, amaze with their integrity, harmony and lyricism, their images attract with their naturalness and calm poetry.

In the second half of the 1650s. the artist created his most remarkable works. The deeply lyrical "Sleeping Girl", "Glass of Wine", "Girl with a Letter" were marked with a warm feeling. Many Dutch painters of this time in their paintings depicted servants busy at work, but only Vermeer's image of a woman from the people has features of genuine beauty and grandeur ("A Maid with a Jug of Milk").

Vermeer is a real virtuoso in conveying the essence of the world of things with the help of pictorial means. Still lifes in his paintings are executed with great skill. A dish with apples and plums, standing on a table covered with a patterned tablecloth in the canvas "Girl with a Letter", looks surprisingly beautiful and natural.

In the painting "The Maid with a Jug of Milk", bread and milk, pouring from the jug in a thick stream, delight with their freshness.

Light plays an important role in Vermeer's works. It fills the space of the canvases, creating the impression of extraordinary airiness; models shapes and penetrates paints, making them glow from within. It is thanks to this amount of light and air that a special emotional upliftment of most of Vermeer's works is created.

The remarkable skill of the painter manifested itself in landscape painting. A small corner of the city, enveloped in the humid atmosphere of a cloudy day, reproduces the clear and simple composition "Street" (c. 1658). The rain-washed city appears clean and fresh in the painting View of Delft (between 1658 and 1660). The sun's rays make their way through the delicate silvery clouds, creating many bright glare on the surface of the water. The sonorous coloring with its subtle color transitions gives the picture expressiveness and harmony.

In the 1660s. Vermeer's painting becomes more refined and elegant. The palette is also changing, which is now dominated by cold colorful shades ("Girl with a Pearl"). The main characters of the canvases are rich ladies and gentlemen surrounded by luxurious objects ("Love Letter", c. 1670).

Jan Wermeer Delft. A maid with a jug of milk. Between 1657 and 1660
Jan Wermeer Delft. Painter's workshop. OK. 1665 g.

In the last period of Vermeer's life, his works become superficial and somewhat far-fetched ("Allegory of Faith"), and the palette loses its richness and sonority. But even in these years, individual works of the artist amaze with their former expressive power. Such is his "Workshop of the Painter" (1665), in which Vermeer depicted himself at work, and the paintings "Astronomer" and "Geographer", depicting scientists.

The fate of Vermeer, like many other Dutch masters, is tragic. At the end of his life, the sick artist, who had lost most of his former customers, was forced to move his large family from his old house to a cheaper dwelling. Over the past five years, he has not painted a single picture. The painter died in 1675. His art was forgotten for a long time, and only in the middle of the 19th century. Wermeer was appreciated and placed on a par with such Dutch masters as Rembrandt and F. Hals.

The victory of the bourgeois revolution in the Northern Netherlands led to the formation of the independent state of the Republic of the seven united provinces of Holland (named after the most significant of these provinces); for the first time in one of the countries of Europe, a bourgeois-republican system was established. The driving forces of the revolution were the peasants and the poorest strata of the urban population, but its conquests were taken advantage of by the bourgeoisie, which came to power. However, in the first decades after the establishment of the republic, the democratic traditions of the revolutionary period were alive. The breadth of the national liberation movement, the rise of the self-consciousness of the people, the joy of liberation from the foreign yoke united the most diverse strata of the population. Conditions for the development of sciences and art have developed in the country. The progressive thinkers of that time, in particular the French philosopher Descartes, found refuge here, and Spinoza's essentially materialistic philosophical system was formed. The highest achievements were achieved by the artists of Holland. They were the first in Europe; freed from the oppressive influence of court circles and the Catholic Church and created art that is democratic and realistic directly, reflecting social reality.

A distinctive feature of the development of Dutch art was a significant predominance among all its types of painting. Pictures adorned the houses not only of representatives of the ruling elite of society, but also of poor burghers, artisans, peasants; they were sold at auctions and fairs; sometimes artists used them as a means of paying bills. The profession of an artist was not rare, there were a lot of painters, and they fiercely competed with each other. The rapid development of painting was explained not only by the demand for paintings by those who wanted to decorate their homes with them, but also by looking at them as a commodity, as a means of profit, a source of speculation. Having got rid of the direct customer of the Catholic Church or an influential philanthropist-feudal lord, the artist found himself entirely dependent on market demands. The tastes of bourgeois society predetermined the path of development of Dutch art, and artists who opposed them, defended their independence in matters of creativity, found themselves isolated, died untimely in poverty and loneliness. Moreover, these were, as a rule, the most talented masters. Suffice it to mention the names of Hals and Rembrandt.

The main object of the image for Dutch artists was the surrounding reality, which had never before been so fully reflected in the works of painters of other national schools. The appeal to the most diverse aspects of life led to the strengthening of realistic tendencies in painting, in which the leading place was taken by the genre of genre and portrait, landscape and still life. The more truthfully, the more deeply the artists reflected the real world opening before them, the more significant were their works. Frans Hals Maslenitsa festival

Each genre had its own offshoots. So, for example, among the landscape painters there were seascape painters (depicting the sea), painters who preferred the views of plains or forest thickets, there were masters who specialized in winter landscapes and landscapes with moonlight: among the genre painters, there were artists depicting peasants, burghers, scenes of feasts and home life, hunting scenes and markets; were masters of church interiors and various types of still lifes of "breakfasts", "desserts", "shops", etc. Affected by the limitations of Dutch painting, which limited the number of tasks to be solved for its creators. But at the same time, the concentration of each of the artists on a particular genre contributed to the refinement of the painter's skill. Only the largest of the Dutch artists have worked in a variety of genres. Frans Hals Group of children

The founder of the Dutch realistic portrait was Frans Hals (ok :), whose artistic legacy with fresh acuity and power, embracing the inner world of a person goes far beyond the national Dutch culture. An artist of a broad outlook, a bold innovator, he destroyed the canons of the estate (noble) portrait of the 16th century that had developed before him. He was interested not in a person depicted according to his social position in a majestic and solemn pose and ceremonial dress, but in a person in all his natural essence, character, with his feelings, intellect, emotions.

Meeting of the officers of the company of St. Adrian in Haarlem Strong, energetic people who took an active part in the liberation struggle against the Spanish conquerors are represented during the feast. A cheerful mood with a touch of humor unites officers of different characters and manners. There is no protagonist here. All present are equal participants in the holiday.

Khals portrayed his heroes without embellishment, with their unceremonious manners, powerful love of life. He expanded the scope of the portrait by introducing plot elements, capturing the portrayed in action, in a specific life situation, emphasizing facial expressions, gesture, posture, instantly and accurately captured. The artist sought the emotional strength and vitality of the characteristics of the portrayed, the transfer of their irrepressible energy. He not only reformed individual custom and group portraits, but was the creator of a portrait that borders on the genre of everyday life. Potter-musician

Khals's portraits are varied in themes and images. But the portrayed are united by common features: the integrity of nature, love of life. Hals is a painter of laughter, a cheerful, infectious smile. The artist revives the faces of the common people, visitors to taverns, street boys with sparkling joy. His characters do not withdraw into themselves, they turn their gazes and gestures to the viewer. Boon companion

The image of the "Gypsy" (c., Paris, Louvre) is fanned with a free-spirited breath. Hals admires the proud position of her head in a halo of fluffy hair, a seductive smile, a perky gleam of her eyes, an expression of independence. The vibrating outline of the silhouette, sliding rays of light, running clouds, against which a gypsy is depicted, fill the image with the thrill of life.

The portrait of Malle Babbe (early x years, Berlin Dahlem, Art Gallery), the innkeeper, not accidentally nicknamed the "Harlem witch", develops into a small genre scene. An ugly old woman with a burning sly look, turning sharply and grinning widely, as if answering someone from the regulars of her tavern. A sinister owl looms grimly on her shoulder. The sharpness of the artist's vision, the gloomy strength and vitality of the image he created are striking. The asymmetry of the composition, the dynamics, the richness of the angular brushstroke increase the anxiety of the scene.

Hals's later portraits stand next to the most remarkable creations of world portrait painting: in their psychologicalism, they are close to the portraits of the greatest Dutch painter, Rembrandt, who, like Hals, survived his lifetime glory, having come into conflict with the degenerating bourgeois elite of Dutch society. Nursing Home Regents

The most popular genre in Dutch painting was the genre, which largely determined the peculiar ways of its development in comparison with the art of other countries. The appeal to the most diverse aspects of everyday life, its poeticization led to the formation of various types of genre paintings. High pictorial skill of their creators, optimistic character, soft lyricism give them that charm that justifies the depiction of the most insignificant motives. Peter de Hooch Near the linen closet

The Dutch Baroque master Peter de Hooch (Hooch) was one of the leading representatives of the 17th century Delft school. The painter's works are devoted to everyday, little outstanding events of the quiet, calm life of a burgher family. The interiors are neat courtyards or neatly tidy rooms. Hoch's paintings are characterized by an exquisite precise drawing with a calm color and unobtrusive color accents. The master had an amazing ability to capture the "moment of being" - a conversation stopped for a moment, some kind of action. This ability makes Hoch's paintings attractive, creating a sense of mystery, although there is, it would seem, nothing unusual in the image. This perception of Hoch's painting is also facilitated by his virtuoso realist skill, capable of turning everyday life into an interesting spectacle.

A deep poetic feeling, impeccable taste, subtle colorism determine the work of the most outstanding masters of genre painting, the third after Hals and Rembrandt, the great Dutch painter Jan Vermeer Delft (). Possessing an amazingly keen eye, filigree technique, he achieved poetry, integrity and beauty of the figurative solution, paying great attention to the transmission of the light-air environment. Vermeer's artistic legacy is relatively small, as he worked on each painting slowly and with extraordinary care. To earn money, Vermeer was forced to trade in paintings.

For Vermeer, man is inseparable from the poetic world, which the artist admires and which finds such a peculiar refraction in his creations, in their own way embodying the idea of ​​beauty, the measured calm flow of life, and the happiness of man. Especially harmonious and clear in compositional construction "Girl with a Letter" (late 1650s, Dresden, Art Gallery), a painting saturated with air and light, sustained in bronze-green, reddish, golden tones, among which yellow and blue sparkle colors prevailing in the foreground still life.

Unhurriedly confident in her movements, charming and natural, a woman from the people in the painting "The Maid with a Jug of Milk" is imbued with bright optimism and recreates the special, poeticized atmosphere of everyday life. The appearance of a young woman breathes with healthy strength, moral purity; the objects that surround her are written with amazing authenticity, the softness of fresh bread, the smooth surface of the jug, the thickness of pouring milk seem to be palpable. Here, as in a number of other works by Vermeer, his amazing gift is manifested to subtly feel and convey the life of things, the richness and variety of forms of real objects, the vibration of light and air around them.

Vermeer's amazing skill is also found in two landscapes he painted, which belong to the wonderful examples of this genre of painting, not only in Dutch, but also in world art. The motive of "Ulichka", or rather, of its small part, with the facade of a brick house, depicted on a gray, cloudy day, is extremely simple. The material tangibility of each object, the spirituality of every detail, amazes.

"View of the City of Delft" is of a completely different character. The artist looks at his hometown on a summer day after the rain. The sun's rays begin to break through the moist silvery clouds, and the whole picture sparkles and sparkles with many colorful shades and light reflections, and at the same time captures with integrity and poetic beauty.

The principles of the Dutch realistic landscape took shape during the first third of the 17th century. Instead of conventional canons and idealized, invented nature in the paintings of the masters of the Italian trend, the creators of the realistic landscape turned to the depiction of the real nature of Holland with its dunes and canals, houses and villages. They not only captured the character of the area with all the signs, creating typical motives of the national landscape, but sought to convey the atmosphere of the season, humid air and space. This contributed to the development of tonal painting, the subordination of all components of the picture to a single tone.

The outstanding landscape painter of Holland was Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/291682), who inspired his landscapes with great personal feelings and experiences. Like other major Dutch artists, he did not make concessions to the tastes of bourgeois customers, always remaining himself. Ruisdael was not limited to certain themes of the image. The range of his landscape motives is very wide: views of villages, plains and dunes, forest swamps and the sea, depicted in the most different weather and different seasons. Winter scenes

The artist's creative maturity falls on the middle of the 17th century. At this time, he creates works full of deep drama, conveying the inner life of nature: "View of the Egmond Village", "Forest Swamp", "Jewish Cemetery" which, with their restrained, gloomy coloring, monumentalization of forms and constructions, responded to the artist's experiences. He achieves the greatest emotional strength and depth of philosophical meaning in the depiction of a Jewish cemetery with its whitening tombstones and ruins, with a foaming stream, withered gnarled branches of a tree illuminated by a flash of lightning that illuminates the fresh green of a young sprout. So the idea of ​​an eternally renewing life that breaks through all storms and destructive forces wins in this gloomy meditation.

Along with landscape painting, still life, which was distinguished by an intimate character, was widely spread in Holland. Dutch artists chose a wide variety of objects for their still lifes, knew how to arrange them perfectly, to reveal the features of each object and its inner life, inextricably linked with human life. Peter Claesz (ok) and Willem Heda (/ 82) wrote numerous variants of "breakfast", depicting hams, ruddy buns, blackberry pies, fragile glass glasses half-filled with wine on the table, conveying the color, volume, texture of each item with amazing skill. Peter Klas. Still life with a golden glass.

In Holland of the 17th century. the genre of still life has become widespread. The aesthetic principles of still life were rather conservative: the horizontal format of the canvas, the lower edge of the table with the depicted nature is strictly parallel to the frame. The folds on the dining room tablecloth, as a rule, went in parallel lines, contrary to the laws of perspective, into the depth of the canvas; objects were viewed from a high point of view (to make it easier to capture them all with a glance), were placed in a line or in a circle and practically did not touch Heda Willem Claes Breakfast with crab

Heda Willem Claes Still Life with the Gold Cup of Heda and Peter Claes, who influenced him, are the most significant representatives of this kind of still life in Holland. The two Harlem craftsmen are often compared. Both of them created modest "breakfasts" with a simple set of uncomplicated objects. Kheda and Klas have greenish-gray or brownish tones in common, but Kheda's works are usually more carefully finished, and his taste is more aristocratic, which manifested itself in the choice of objects depicted: silver rather than tin utensils, oysters rather than herring, etc. P.

Holland. 17th century. The country is experiencing an unprecedented heyday. The so-called "Golden Age". At the end of the 16th century, several provinces of the country achieved independence from Spain.

Now the Prostane Netherlands went their own way. And Catholic Flanders (present-day Belgium), under the wing of Spain, is its own.

In independent Holland, almost no one needed religious painting. The Protestant Church did not approve of the luxury of decoration. But this circumstance "played into the hands" of secular painting.

Literally every inhabitant of the new country woke up to love this art form. The Dutch wanted to see their own life in the paintings. And the artists willingly went to meet them.

Never before have they portrayed the surrounding reality so much. Ordinary people, ordinary rooms and the most ordinary city dweller's breakfast.

Realism flourished. Until the 20th century, it will be a worthy competitor to academism with its nymphs and Greek goddesses.

These artists are called "small" Dutch. Why? The paintings were small in size, because they were created for small houses. So, almost all of Jan Vermeer's paintings are no more than half a meter high.

But I like the other version better. In the Netherlands in the 17th century, a great master, the "big" Dutchman, lived and worked. And all the others were "small" in comparison with him.

We are talking, of course, about Rembrandt. Let's start with him.

1. Rembrandt (1606-1669)

Rembrandt. Self-portrait at the age of 63. 1669 National Gallery of London

Rembrandt had a chance to experience the widest range of emotions during his life. That is why there is so much fun and bravado in his early works. And there are so many difficult feelings in the later ones.

Here he is young and carefree in the painting The Prodigal Son in a Tavern. On my knees is my beloved wife Saskia. He is a popular artist. Orders flow like a river.

Rembrandt. The prodigal son in the tavern. 1635 Old Masters Gallery, Dresden

But all this will disappear in some 10 years. Saskia will die of consumption. Popularity will dissolve like smoke. A large house with a unique collection will be taken away for debts.

But the same Rembrandt will appear, which will remain for centuries. Bare feelings of heroes. Their innermost thoughts.

2. Frans Hals (1583-1666)

Frans Hals. Self-portrait. 1650 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Frans Hals is one of the greatest portrait painters of all time. Therefore, I would also rank him among the "big" Dutch.

In Holland at that time it was customary to order group portraits. This is how many similar works appeared, depicting people working together: shooters from the same guild, doctors from the same town, managing a nursing home.

In this genre, Hals stands out the most. After all, most of these portraits looked like a deck of cards. People with the same facial expression are sitting at the table and just looking. With Hals, it was different.

Look at his group portrait of St. George ”.

Frans Hals. Arrows of the guild of st. George. 1627 Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands

Here you will not find a single repetition in posture or facial expression. Moreover, there is no chaos here. There are many characters, but no one seems superfluous. Thanks to the surprisingly correct placement of the figures.

And in a single portrait, Khals was superior to many artists. His patterns are natural. People from high society in his paintings are devoid of contrived greatness, and models from the lower classes do not look humiliated.

And also his characters are very emotional: they smile, laugh, gesture. As, for example, this is "Gypsy" with a sly look.

Frans Hals. Gypsy. 1625-1630

Hals, like Rembrandt, ended his life in poverty. For the same reason. His realism went against the tastes of the customers. Who wanted to embellish their appearance. Khals did not go to outright flattery, and thus signed his own sentence - "Oblivion".

3. Gerard Terborch (1617-1681)

Gerard Terborch. Self-portrait. 1668 Mauritshuis Royal Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands

Terborch was a master of the genre of genre. The rich and not so burghers talk leisurely, the ladies read the letters, and the pimp watches the courtship. Two or three closely spaced figures.

It was this master who developed the canons of the everyday genre. Which will then be borrowed by Jan Vermeer, Peter de Hooch and many other "small" Dutchmen.

Gerard Terborch. A glass of lemonade. 1660s. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

A Glass of Lemonade is one of Terborch's famous works. It shows another dignity of the artist. An incredibly realistic image of the fabric of the dress.

Terborch also has unusual works. Which speaks of his desire to go beyond the requirements of the customers.

His Grinder shows the lives of the poorest people in Holland. We are used to seeing cozy courtyards and clean rooms in the paintings of "small" Dutchmen. But Terborch dared to show the unsightly Holland.

Gerard Terborch. Grinder. 1653-1655 State museums in Berlin

As you can imagine, such works were not in demand. And they are a rare occurrence even with Terborch.

4. Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)

Jan Vermeer. Artist's workshop. 1666-1667 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

What Jan Vermeer looked like is not known for certain. It is only obvious that in the painting "The Artist's Workshop" he depicted himself. Truth from the back.

Therefore, it is surprising that a new fact from the life of the master has recently become known. It is associated with his masterpiece "Delft Street".

Jan Vermeer. Delft street. 1657 Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

It turned out that Vermeer's childhood passed on this street. The house depicted belonged to his aunt. She raised her five children in it. Perhaps she is sitting on the doorstep with sewing, and her two children are playing on the sidewalk. Vermeer himself lived in the house opposite.

But more often he depicted the interior of these houses and their inhabitants. It would seem that the plots of the paintings are very simple. Here is a pretty lady, a wealthy city dweller, checking the work of her scales.

Jan Vermeer. Woman with weights. 1662-1663 National Gallery of Art, Washington

How did Vermeer stand out among thousands of other "small" Dutchmen?

He was the consummate master of light. In the painting "Woman with Weights", light softly envelops the heroine's face, fabrics and walls. Giving the picture an unknown spirituality.

And also the compositions of Vermeer's paintings are carefully verified. You will not find a single superfluous detail. It is enough to remove one of them, the picture "crumbles", and the magic will go away.

All this was not easy for Vermeer. Such an amazing quality required painstaking work. Only 2-3 paintings per year. As a result, the inability to feed the family. Vermeer also worked as an art dealer, selling works of other artists.

5. Peter de Hooch (1629-1884)

Peter de Hooch. Self-portrait. 1648-1649 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Hoha is often compared to Vermeer. They worked at the same time, there was even a period in the same city. And in one genre - everyday. At Hoch, we also see one or two figures in cozy Dutch courtyards or rooms.

Open doors and windows make the space of his paintings multi-layered and entertaining. And the figures are inscribed in this space very harmoniously. As, for example, in his painting "A maid with a girl in the courtyard."

Peter de Hooch. A maid with a girl in the courtyard. 1658 London National Gallery

Until the 20th century, Hoh was highly prized. But the few works of his competitor Vermeer, few people noticed.

But in the 20th century, everything changed. Hoh's glory faded. However, it is difficult not to recognize his achievements in painting. Few people could combine the environment and people so competently.

Peter de Hooch. The card players in the sunny room. 1658 Royal Art Collection, London

Note that in a modest house, the canvas "Card Players" hangs a picture in an expensive frame.

This once again shows how popular painting was among ordinary Dutch people. Pictures adorned every home: the house of a rich burgher, and a modest city dweller, and even a peasant.

6. Jan Steen (1626-1679)

Jan Steen. Self-portrait with a lute. 1670s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

Jan Steen is perhaps the funniest "little" Dutchman. But loving morality. He often depicted taverns or poor houses in which vice was prevalent.

Its main characters are revelers and ladies of easy virtue. He wanted to entertain the viewer, but latently warn him against a vicious life.

Jan Steen. A mess. 1663 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Sten also has quieter works. Like, for example, "Morning Toilet". But here, too, the artist surprises the viewer with too frank details. There are traces of elastic in stockings, and not an empty chamber pot. And somehow the dog is lying right on the pillow.

Jan Steen. Morning toilet. 1661-1665 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

But despite all the frivolity, Sten's color schemes are very professional. In this he surpassed many "little Dutchmen". See how a red stocking goes well with a blue jacket and a bright beige rug.

7. Jacobs van Ruisdael (1629-1882)

Ruisdael's portrait. Lithograph from a 19th century book.