Dutch Golden Age painting Facts for Kids

There was a period in the 17th century, where Dutch trade, science and art were among the most advanced in Europe. The period is known as the Dutch Golden Age. In general, this period started in the second half of the Eighty Years' War. After the war, there was the Dutch Republic which was the most propsperous nation in Europe. The historical period of the time was called Baroque. Many of the paintings of this period show the scenes more pretty than they really were. This is called 'idealisation'. The Dutch paintings of the time often lack this feature. Artists of the movement include Peter Paul Rubens, Johannes Vermeer, Bartholomeus van der Helst, and Jacob van Loo.

There were relatively few paintings with religious themes during this period. The reason for this was that most Dutch were Calvinist. Calvinism forbade religious painting in churches. Even though such subjects were acceptable in private homes, they were not very popular. The other traditional classes of history and portrait painting were present, but the period is more notable for a huge variety of other genres, sub-divided into numerous specialized categories, such as scenes of peasant life, landscapes, townscapes, landscapes with animals, maritime paintings, flower paintings and still lifes of various types. The development of many of these types of painting was decisively influenced by 17th-century Dutch artists.

There was a theory in painting, that some types of painting were more prestigious than others. This theory is known as hierarchy of genres. Because history painting was at the top of the list, many painters wanted to produce historical paintings. The problem with this was that historical paintings were the most difficult to sell. To be able to live from their painting, many painters were forced to produce portraits or genre scenes, which sold much more easily. The hierarchy was as follows:

history painting, including allegories and popular religious subjects.
Portrait painting, including the tronie
genre painting or scenes of everyday life
landscape, including seascapes, battlescenes, cityscapes, and ruins.
still life

The Dutch concentrated heavily on the "lower" categories, but by no means rejected the concept of the hierarchy. Most paintings were relatively small – the only common type of really large paintings were group portraits. Painting directly onto walls hardly existed; when a wall-space in a public building needed decorating fitted framed canvas was normally used. For the extra precision possible on a hard surface many painters continued to use wooden panels, some time after the rest of Western Europe had abandoned them; some used copper plates, usually recycling plates from printmaking. In turn the number of surviving Golden Age paintings was reduced by them being overpainted with new works by artists throughout the 18th and 19th century – poor ones were usually cheaper than a new canvas, stretcher and frame. There was very little Dutch sculpture during the period; it is mostly found in tomb monuments and attached to public buildings, and small sculptures for houses are a noticeable gap, their place taken by silverware and ceramics. Painted delftware tiles were very cheap and common, if rarely of really high quality, but silver, especially in the auricular style, led Europe. With this exception, the best artistic efforts were concentrated on painting and printmaking.

Gallery

Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid (1658–1660)
Frans Hals' tronie, with the later title Gypsy Girl. 1628-30. Oil on wood, 58 cm × 52 cm (23 in × 20 in). The tronie includes elements of portraiture, genre painting, and sometimes history painting.
Paulus Potter, The Young Bull (1647); 3.4 metres wide. An unusually monumental animal painting that challenges the hierarchy of genres.

Images for kids

Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid (1658–1661)
The Blinding of Samson, 1636, which Rembrandt gave to Huyghens
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The Haarlem Painter's Guild in 1675, by Jan de Bray, whose self-portrait is the second from the left
Aert de Gelder, Self-portrait as Zeuxis (1685)
Utrecht Caravaggism: Dirck van Baburen, Christ crowned with thorns, 1623, for a convent in Utrecht, not a market available in most of Holland.
Bartholomeus van der Helst, Sophia Trip (1645), a member of one of the wealthiest families in Holland.
Frans Hals, Willem Heythuijsen (1634), 47 cm × 37 cm (19 in × 15 in).
Jan Mijtens, family portrait, 1652, with the boys in "picturesque" dress.
The Meagre Company, an Amsterdam militia group portrait or schutterstuk by Frans Hals and Pieter Codde (1633-37)
Bartholomeus van der Helst, Banquet of the Amsterdam Civic Guard in Celebration of the Peace of Münster, 1648; 5.47 metres wide
A typical Jan Steen picture (c. 1663); while the housewife sleeps, the household play.
Adriaen van Ostade, Peasants in an Interior (1661)
Gabriel Metsu, The Hunter's Gift, c. 1660, a study in marital relations, with a visual pun.
Esaias van de Velde, Winter Landscape (1623)
Jacob van Ruisdael, The Windmill at Wijk (1670)
Aelbert Cuyp, River landscape with Riders (c. 1655); Cuyp specialized in golden evening light in Dutch settings.
Pieter Jansz Saenredam, Assendelft Church, 1649, with the gravestone of his father in the foreground.
Salomon van Ruisdael, typical View of Deventer Seen from the North-West (1657); an example of the "tonal phase".
Pieter Claesz, Vanitas (1630)
Abraham van Beijeren (c. 1660); "ostentatious" still life.
Jacob Gillig, Freshwater Fish (1684)
Frans Post, scene in Dutch Brazil; painted in 1662, some years after the colony was lost.
Philips Wouwerman, Travelers Awaiting a Ferry (1649); a landscape with Wouwerman's trademark highlight of a white horse.
The mute Hendrick Avercamp painted almost exclusively winter scenes of crowds seen from some distance.
Pieter de Hooch, Courtyard of a House in Delft, 1658, a study in domestic virtue, texture and spatial complexity. The woman is a servant.
Judith Leyster, A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel; various references to proverbs or emblems have been suggested.
Nicolaes Maes, The idle servant; housemaid troubles were the subject of several of Maes' works.
Jacob van Ruisdael, View of Haarlem; Ruisdael is a central figure, with more varied subjects than many landscapists.
Jan Both, c. 1650, Italian landscape of the type Both began to paint after his return from Rome.
Allaert van Everdingen, c. 1660, Nordic landscape of the type Van Eeverdingen began to paint after his return from Norway and Sweden.
Jan van Goyen, Dune landscape; an example of the "tonal" style
The Great Market in Haarlem, 1696, by Gerrit Berckheyde.
Willem van Aelst, Still life with a watch (c. 1665), with typical dark background.
Willem Claeszoon Heda, Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie (1631); Heda was famous for his depiction of reflective surfaces.
Jan Davidszoon de Heem, Vanitas (1629)
Jan Weenix, Still Life with a Dead Peacock (1692), set in the gardens of a large country house.
Landscape with sugar mill, Frans Post
Landscape with a worker's house, Frans Post
Brazilian Indian warrior, Albert Eckhout
Bananas, goiaba, and other fruits, Albert Eckhout

Dutch Golden Age painting facts for kids

Gallery

Images for kids

See also