Flemish painting is one of classical schools in history visual arts. Anyone interested in classical drawing has heard this phrase, but what is behind such a noble name? Could you, without hesitation, identify several features of this style and name the main names? In order to more confidently navigate the halls major museums and be a little less shy about the distant 17th century, you need to know this school.
History of the Flemish School
The 17th century began with an internal split in the Netherlands due to religious and political struggle for the internal freedom of the state. This led to a split in cultural sphere. The country splits into two parts, southern and northern, whose painting begins to develop in different directions. Southerners who remained in the Catholic faith under Spanish rule become representatives Flemish school, while northern artists art critics refer to Dutch school.
Representatives of the Flemish school of painting continued the traditions of their older Italian colleagues-artists of the Renaissance: Raphael Santi, Michelangelo Buonarroti, who paid great attention religious and mythological themes. Moving along a familiar path, supplemented by inorganic, rough elements of realism, Dutch artists could not create outstanding works of art. The stagnation continued until he stood up at the easel Peter Paul Rubens(1577-1640). What was so amazing that this Dutchman could bring to art?
Famous master
Rubens' talent was able to breathe life into the painting of the southerners, which was not very remarkable before him. Closely familiar with heritage Italian masters, the artist continued the tradition of turning to religious themes. But, unlike his colleagues, Rubens was able to harmoniously weave features into classical plots own style gravitating toward rich colors and depicting nature filled with life.
From the artist's paintings, as from open window as if it's spilling sunlight (« Last Judgment", 1617). Unusual solutions for constructing a composition of classical episodes from the Holy Scriptures or pagan mythology attracted attention to new talent among his contemporaries, and still do. Such innovation looked fresh in comparison with the gloomy, muted shades of the paintings of his Dutch contemporaries.
Characteristic feature steel and models by a Flemish artist. Plump fair-haired ladies, painted with interest without inappropriate embellishment, often became central heroines paintings by Rubens. Examples can be found in the paintings “The Judgment of Paris” (1625), "Susanna and the Elders" (1608), "Venus in front of the mirror"(1615), etc.
In addition, Rubens contributed influence on the formation of the landscape genre. He began to develop in the painting of Flemish artists to the main representative of the school, but it was the work of Rubens that set the main features of the national landscape painting, reflecting the local color of the Netherlands.
Followers
Rubens, who quickly became famous, soon found himself surrounded by imitators and students. The master taught them to use folk characteristics locality, color, to glorify, perhaps, unusual human beauty. This attracted spectators and artists. Followers tried their hand at different genres- from portraits ( Gaspare De Caine, Abraham Janssens) to still lifes (Frans Snyders) and landscapes (Jan Wildens). Household painting of the Flemish school is executed in an original way Adrian Brouwer And David Teniers Jr.
One of Rubens' most successful and notable students was Anthony Van Dyck(1599 - 1641). His author's style developed gradually, at first completely subordinated to imitation of his mentor, but over time he became more careful with paints. The student had a penchant for gentle, muted shades in contrast to the teacher.
Van Dyck's paintings make it clear that he did not have a strong inclination to build complex compositions, volumetric spaces with heavy figures, which distinguished his teacher's paintings. The gallery of the artist’s works is filled with single or paired portraits, ceremonial or intimate, which indicates the author’s genre priorities that differ from Rubens.
06.05.2014
The life of Frans Hals was as bright and eventful as his paintings. To this day, the world knows stories about the drunken brawls of Khalsa, which he every now and then organized after major holidays. An artist with such a cheerful and violent character could not win respect in the country, state religion which contained Calvinism. Frans Hals was born in Antwerp in early 1582. However, his family left Antwerp. In 1591, the Khals arrived in Haarlem. France's younger brother was born here...
10.12.2012
Jan Steen is one of the most famous representatives Dutch school painting mid-17th century century. In the works of this artist you will not find any monumental or elegant paintings, nor bright portraits of great people or religious images. In fact, Jan Steen is a master of everyday scenes filled with fun and sparkling humor of his era. His paintings depict children, drunkards, simple people, Gulen and many, many others. Jan was born in the southern province of Holland, the town of Leiden around 1626...
07.12.2012
The work of the famous Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch is still perceived ambiguously by both critics and simply art lovers. What is depicted in Bosch’s paintings: demons of the underworld or simply people disfigured by sin? Who he really was Hieronymus Bosch: an obsessed psychopath, a sectarian, a seer, or just a great artist, a kind of ancient surrealist, like Salvador Dali, who drew ideas from the realm of the unconscious? Maybe his life path...
24.11.2012
Famous Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder created his own colorful style of writing, which significantly differed from other Renaissance painters. His paintings are images of a folk satirical epic, images of nature and village life. Some works fascinate with their composition - you want to look at them and look at them, arguing about what exactly the artist wanted to convey to the viewer. The peculiarity of Bruegel's writing and vision of the world are reminiscent of the work of the early surrealist Hieronymus Bosch...
26.11.2011
Han van Meegeren ( full name- Henricus Antonius van Meegeren) was born on May 3, 1889 in the family of a simple school teacher. All yours free time the boy accompanied his beloved teacher, whose name was Korteling, to the workshop. His father didn’t like it, but it was Korteling who managed to develop in the boy the taste and ability to imitate the style of writing of antiquity. Van Meegeren received a good education. He entered the Delft Institute of Technology, where he took a course in architecture, at the age of 18. At the same time, he studied at...
13.10.2011
The famous Dutch artist Johannes Jan Vermeer, known to us as Vermeer of Delft, is rightfully considered one of the brightest representatives of the Golden Age Dutch art. He was a master of genre portraits and the so-called household painting. The future artist was born in October 1632 in the city of Delft. Jan was the second child in the family and the only son. His father sold art objects and was engaged in silk weaving. His parents were friends with the artist Leonart Breimer, who...
18.04.2010
The already hackneyed phrase that all geniuses are a little crazy simply fits perfectly with the fate of the great and brilliant post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. Having lived only 37 years, he left a rich heritage - about 1000 paintings and the same number of drawings. This figure is even more impressive when you learn that Van Gogh devoted less than 10 years of his life to painting. 1853 On March 30, a boy, Vincent, was born in the village of Grot-Zundert, located in the south of Holland. A year earlier, in the family of a priest into which he was born...
Main trends, stages of development of painting and iconic painters of Holland.
Dutch painting
Introduction
Dutch painting XVII centuries are sometimes mistakenly considered art for the middle class, worshiping Flemish painting this period and calling it courtly, aristocratic. No less erroneous is the opinion that Dutch artists They are engaged only in the depiction of the immediate human environment, using for this purpose the landscape, cities, sea, and people's lives, while Flemish art is devoted to historical painting, which in the theory of art is considered a more sublime genre. In contrast to this, for public buildings in Holland, which had to have an imposing appearance, as well as wealthy visitors, whatever their religious beliefs or background, required paintings with allegorical or mythological themes.
Any division Dutch school painting into the Flemish and Dutch branches until the beginning of the 17th century. due to the constant creative exchange between the areas, it would be artificial. For example, Peter Aertsen, born in Amsterdam, before returning to hometown in 1557 he worked in Antwerp, and his student and nephew Joachim Bukelaer spent his entire life in Antwerp. In connection with the signing of the Union of Utrecht and the separation of the seven northern provinces, many residents after 1579–1581. emigrated from the northern Netherlands to the Protestant part of the artificially divided country.
"Butcher shop". Artsen.
Development of art
The impetus for the independent development of Dutch painting came from Flemish artists. Bartholomeus Spranger, born in Antwerp and educated in Rome, became the founder of a virtuoso, courtly, artificial style, which, as a result of Spranger's temporary residence in Vienna and Prague, became an international "language". In 1583, the painter and art theorist Karel van Mander brought this style to Haarlem. One of the main masters of this Haarlem or Utrecht mannerism was Abraham Bloemaert.
Then Isaiah van de Velde, born in Holland into a family of emigrants from Flanders, and studied in a circle of painters, the center of which was Flemish artists David Vinkboons and Gillis Koninksloh, in their early paintings developed a realistic painting style that referred to Jan Brueghel the Elder, with vibrant color gradations artistic plans. Around 1630, a trend towards unification took hold in Holland artistic space and the merging of colors from different layers. Since then, the multifaceted nature of the things depicted gave way to a sense of space and an atmosphere of airy haze, which was conveyed with a gradually increasing monochrome use of color. Isaiah van de Velde embodied this stylistic revolution in art together with his student Jan van Goen.
Winter landscape. Velde.
One of the most monumental landscapes of the High Baroque, "The Great Forest", by Jacob van Ruisdael, belongs to the next period of development of Dutch painting. The viewer no longer has to experience the rather amorphous appearance of a sprawling space in gray-brown tones with a few striking motifs; henceforth the impression is made of a fixed, energetically accentuated structure.
Genre painting
Dutch genre painting, which, in fact, can hardly be called just a portrait Everyday life, often carrying a moralistic message, is represented in Vienna by the works of all its main masters. Its center was Leiden, where Gerard Doux, Rembrandt's first student, founded a school known as the Leiden School of Fine Painting (fijnschilders).
Figurative painting
Meeting of company officers. Frans Hals.
The three greatest Dutch masters of figurative painting, Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer of Delft, followed each other within an interval of almost a generation. Hals was born in Antwerp and worked in Haarlem mainly as a portrait painter. For many, he became the personification of the open, cheerful and spontaneous virtuoso painter, while the art of Rembrandt, a thinker - as the cliché goes - reveals the origins of human destiny. This is both fair and wrong. What immediately catches your eye when looking at a portrait or group portrait by Hals is the ability to convey a person who is overwhelmed with emotion in movement. To depict a fleeting moment, Hals uses open, noticeably irregular strokes, intersecting in zigzags or cross-hatching. This creates the effect of a constantly shimmering surface, like a sketch, which merges into a single image only when viewed from a certain distance. After the return of Rothschild's "gifts", an expressive portrait of a man in black was acquired for the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein and thus returned to Vienna. The Kunsthistorisches Museum owns only one painting by Franz Hals, a portrait young man, which already appeared in the collection of Charles VI as one of the few examples of “Protestant” art in Holland. Portraits painted in late period works of Hals, closer to the works of Rembrandt in terms of psychological penetration and lack of posing.
Thanks to subtle transitions of shades and areas of chiaroscuro, Rembrandt's chiaroscuro seems to envelop the figures in a resonant space in which mood, atmosphere, something intangible and even invisible reside. Rembrandt's work in Vienna art gallery represented only by portraits, although "The Artist's Mother" and "The Artist's Son" can also be considered single-figure historical paintings. In the so-called “Large Self-Portrait” of 1652, the artist appears before us in a brown blouse, with his face turned in three quarters. His gaze is self-confident and even defiant.
Vermeer
Vermeer's undramatic art, focused entirely on contemplation, was considered a reflection of the Dutch middle class, now independent and content with what it had. However, the simplicity of Vermeer's artistic concepts is deceptive. Their clarity and calm are the result of precise analysis, including the use of the latest technical inventions such as the camera obscura. "Allegory of Painting", created around 1665-1666, Vermeer's pinnacle work in terms of work with color, can be called his most ambitious painting. The process initiated by Jan van Eyck, a native of the northern Netherlands, passive, detached contemplation of the motionless world, has always remained main theme Dutch painting and in the works of Vermeer reached an allegorical and at the same time real apotheosis.
updated: September 16, 2017 by: GlebI decided to make a selection of Dutch people who, in my opinion, are famous all over the world...
So let's get started:
Oh yes, in first place of course - Vincent Van Gogh, not recognized during life, but loved modern world behind bright colors and imaginary simplicity. Today he is the most popular artist among thieves.
Rembrandt van Rijn– great Dutch painter and engraver. One of his most famous paintings is The Night Watch, the painting is reputed to be mysterious. Art critics and art lovers have been scratching their heads over this painting for centuries. Thus, one venerable Dutch art historian of the early 19th century spent years to prove that the detachment marched in a parade on the occasion of the arrival of the French Queen Marie de Medici in Amsterdam in 1639. The most alluring among the mysteries of the “Watch” is the image weird girl in a golden outfit...Modern Dutch people love and revere this artist very much... Since the beginning of the 20th century, a policy has been pursued of returning the paintings of this artist back to their homeland.
Johannes Vermeer of Delft. He lived for a short time, wrote little, and was discovered late. Vermeer's most famous and "touring" work is "Girl with a Pearl Earring", owned by the Hague Museum. Most of Vermeer's paintings belong to museums and private collectors in the United States. There is not a single work by this Dutch artist in Russia.
Anne Frank– The diary of the Dutch girl Anne Frank is one of the most famous and impressive documents about Nazi atrocities. Anna kept a diary from June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944. At first she wrote only for herself, until in the spring of 1944 she heard a speech on the radio by the Minister of Education of the Netherlands, Bolkenstein. He said that all the evidence of the Dutch during the occupation period should become public property. Impressed by these words, Anna decided after the war to publish a book based on her diary.
Paul Verhoeven- famous Dutch director. Creator of such films as: the fantastic action film "RoboCop" (1987), which grossed more than 50 million dollars at the box office, the super action movie "Total Recall" (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger in leading role. The greatest success was expected in the cult thriller Basic Instinct (1992), starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas. The erotic drama Showgirls (1995), which Verhoeven filmed after this, completely failed at the box office. The director managed to partially “rehabilitate himself” by filming the science fiction action movie “Starship Troopers” (1997). The science fiction thriller “The Invisible Man” (2000) was also partially successful, after the release of which Verhoeven took a six-year creative break.
Mata Hari- the main courtesan of world espionage. Margaretha Gertrude Zelle tied the knot with 38-year-old Rudolf McLeod. The couple, whose age difference was 20 years, met through an advertisement in a newspaper: the lonely officer McLeod wanted romantic communication with the opposite sex, and it was him who Margareta chose as the object of passion. However, some time after the marriage and moving to the island of Java, Margareta became disillusioned with her chosen one: a Dutchman of Scottish origin, McLeod, suffered from alcoholism, took out all his anger and unfulfillment in military affairs on his wife and two children, and also kept mistresses. The marriage was failing, and Margareta concentrated on studying Indonesian traditions, in particular local national dances. According to legend, it was in 1897 that she first began performing under the pseudonym Mata Hari, which in Malay means “sun” (“mata” - eye, “hari” - day, literally “eye of the day”). From this time on, the transformation into a spy begins...
Armin Van Buren– For all fans electronic music The name of the Dutchman Armin van Buuren is the name of a true legend. And this is not an exaggeration. It is truly difficult to overestimate the importance of this musician, DJ and simply exceptionally energetic personality for the entire trance industry.
Tiësto– Real name: Thijs Vervest. Tiesto is the number 2 DJ in the world (and often number 1 on DJMag's list). Tiësto broke the world record for drinking Red Bull in 24 hours, he managed to drink 31 cans - almost double the lethal dose, but he doesn't want to take it anymore.
Dirk Nicholas Lawyer– Dutch footballer (midfielder) and football coach, former coach of the national teams of the Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, as well as St. Petersburg Zenit, Rangers and other clubs. Having won the 2007 Russian Football Championship with Zenit, Advocaat became the first foreign coach to win this tournament. On May 28, 2008, Dick Advocaat was awarded the title of honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. Moreover, for this, the city parliament had to issue a special law for the coach personally, since the law of St. Petersburg “On the title of “Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg” did not allow Dick Advocaat to be awarded the title of honorary citizen “on a general basis.”
Benedict Spinoza- Dutch rationalist philosopher, naturalist, one of the main representatives of modern philosophy. He was born into a Jewish family, but the Jews excommunicated him. Christians hated him equally. Although the idea of God dominates his entire philosophy, churchmen accused him of atheism. The years of Spinoza's life coincided with the beginning of the modern era. In his work, he carried out a synthesis of scientific ideas of the Renaissance with Greek, Stoic, Neoplatonic and scholastic philosophy.
Which famous Dutch people do you know? Share in the comments)
Holland. 17th century The country is experiencing unprecedented prosperity. The so-called "Golden Age". At the end of the 16th century, several provinces of the country achieved independence from Spain.
Now the Protestant Netherlands have gone their own way. And Catholic Flanders (present-day Belgium) under the wing of Spain is its own.
In independent Holland religious painting Almost no one needed it anymore. The Protestant Church did not approve of luxury decoration. But this circumstance “played into the hands” of secular painting.
Literally every resident of the new country awoke a love for this type of art. The Dutch wanted to see in the paintings own life. And the artists willingly met them halfway.
Never before surrounding reality they didn’t depict that much. Ordinary people, ordinary rooms and the most ordinary breakfast of a city dweller.
Realism flourished. Until the 20th century, it will be a worthy competitor to academicism 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. Thus, almost all paintings by Jan Vermeer are no more than half a meter in height.
But I like the other version better. Lived and worked in the Netherlands in the 17th century Great master, the “big” Dutchman. And everyone else was “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 London
Rembrandt experienced a wide range of emotions during his life. Therefore in his early works so much fun and bravado. And there are so many complex feelings - in the later ones.
Here he is young and carefree in the picture “ Prodigal son in the tavern." On his knees is his beloved wife Saskia. He is a popular artist. Orders are pouring in.
Rembrandt. The Prodigal Son in a Tavern. 1635 Old Masters Gallery, Dresden
But all this will disappear in about 10 years. Saskia will die of consumption. Popularity will disappear like smoke. Big house with a unique collection will be taken away for debts.
But the same Rembrandt will appear who will remain for centuries. The bare feelings of the heroes. Their deepest 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 classify him as a “big” Dutchman.
In Holland at that time it was customary to order group portraits. This is how many similar works appeared depicting people working together: marksmen of one guild, doctors of one town, managers of a nursing home.
In this genre, Hals stands out the most. After all, most of these portraits looked like a deck of cards. People sit at the table with the same facial expression and just watch. It was different for Hals.
Look at his group portrait “Arrows of the Guild of St. George."
Frans Hals. Arrows of the Guild of St. George. 1627 Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, Netherlands
Here you will not find a single repetition in pose or facial expression. At the same time, there is no chaos here. There are many characters, but no one seems superfluous. Thanks to the amazingly correct arrangement of figures.
And even in a single portrait, Hals was superior to many artists. His patterns are natural. People from high society his paintings are devoid of contrived grandeur, and the models from the lower classes do not look humiliated.
And his characters are also very emotional: they smile, laugh, and gesticulate. Like, for example, this “Gypsy” with a sly look.
Frans Hals. Gypsy. 1625-1630
Hals, like Rembrandt, ended his life in poverty. For the same reason. His realism ran counter to the tastes of his customers. Who wanted their appearance to be embellished. Hals did not accept outright flattery, and thereby signed his own sentence - “Oblivion.”
3. Gerard Terborch (1617-1681)
Gerard Terborch. Self-portrait. 1668 Royal Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, The Netherlands
Terborch was a master everyday genre. Rich and not-so-rich burghers talk leisurely, ladies read letters, and a procuress watches the courtship. Two or three closely spaced figures.
It was this master who developed the canons of the everyday genre. Which would later be borrowed by Jan Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch and many other “small” Dutchmen.
Gerard Terborch. A glass of lemonade. 1660s. State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
“A Glass of Lemonade” is one of famous works Terborha. It shows another advantage of the artist. Incredible realistic image dress fabrics.
Terborch also has unusual works. Which speaks volumes about his desire to go beyond customer requirements.
His "The Grinder" shows the life of the poorest people in Holland. We are used to seeing cozy courtyards and clean rooms in the paintings of the “small” Dutch. But Terborch dared to show unsightly Holland.
Gerard Terborch. Grinder. 1653-1655 State Museums of Berlin
As you understand, such work was not in demand. And they - a rare event even Terborch.
4. Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)
Jan Vermeer. Artist's workshop. 1666-1667 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
It is not known for certain what Jan Vermeer looked like. It is only obvious that in the painting “The Artist’s Workshop” he depicted himself. The truth from the back.
It is therefore surprising that it has recently become known new fact from the life of a master. It is connected with his masterpiece “Delft Street”.
Jan Vermeer. Delft street. 1657 State Museum in Amsterdam
It turned out that Vermeer spent his childhood on this street. The house pictured belonged to his aunt. She raised her five children there. Perhaps she is sitting on the doorstep sewing while her two children play 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 operation of her scales.
Jan Vermeer. Woman with scales. 1662-1663 National Gallery of Art, Washington
Why did Vermeer stand out among thousands of other “small” Dutchmen?
He was an unsurpassed master of light. In the painting “Woman with Scales” the light softly envelops the heroine’s face, fabrics and walls. Giving the image an unknown spirituality.
And the compositions of Vermeer’s paintings are carefully verified. You won't find a single unnecessary detail. It is enough to remove one of them, the picture will “fall apart”, and the magic will go away.
All this was not easy for Vermeer. Such 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 by other artists.
5. Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684)
Pieter de Hooch. Self-portrait. 1648-1649 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Hoch 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. In Hoch we also see one or two figures in cozy Dutch courtyards or rooms.
Open doors and windows make the space of his paintings layered and entertaining. And the figures fit into this space very harmoniously. As, for example, in his painting “Maid with a Girl in the Courtyard.”
Pieter de Hooch. A maid with a girl in the courtyard. 1658 London National Gallery
Until the 20th century, Hoch was highly valued. But few people noticed the small works of his competitor Vermeer.
But in the 20th century everything changed. Hoch's glory faded. However, it is difficult not to recognize his achievements in painting. Few people could so competently combine the environment and people.
Pieter de Hooch. Card players in a sunny room. 1658 Royal art collection, London
Please note that in a modest house on the canvas “Card Players” there is a painting hanging in an expensive frame.
This is in Once again talks about how painting was popular among ordinary Dutch people. Paintings decorated every home: the house of a rich burgher, 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 most cheerful “little” Dutchman. But loving moral teaching. He often depicted taverns or poor houses in which vice existed.
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. It's 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 revealing details. There are traces of stocking elastic, and not an empty chamber pot. And somehow it’s not at all appropriate for the dog to be lying right on the pillow.
Jan Steen. Morning toilet. 1661-1665 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
But despite all the frivolity, color solutions Wall is very professional. In this he was superior to many “little Dutchmen”. Look how perfectly the red stocking goes with the blue jacket and bright beige rug.
7. Jacobs Van Ruisdael (1629-1682)
Portrait of Ruisdael. Lithograph from a 19th century book.