Master of art

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• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Master of art

The dutch golden age

Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century

The new Dutch Republic was the most prosperous nation in Europe and led European trade, science, and art. 

A distinctive feature of the period is the emergence of distinct genres of paintings, with the majority of artists producing the bulk of their work within one of these. 

Finding your niche

The widely held theory of the "hierarchy of genres" in painting, whereby some types were regarded as more prestigious than others, led many painters to want to produce history painting. However this was the hardest to sell, as even Rembrandt found. Many were forced to produce portraits or genre scenes, which sold much more easily. 

the categories in the hierarchy were:

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

What soort of
painting would you order
if you'd live in
the Golden age?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Landscape

Born in Amsterdam, Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634) grew up in Kampen. He lived and worked there from 1614 until his death in 1634. Avercamp is mentioned in various documents as the Kampen Mute, so it is assumed that he was deaf and dumb. Avercamp specialised in winter landscapes. He adopted the Flemish tradition. Avercamp's early landscapes have a clear narrative in style and later, his work acquired a more atmospheric quality.

What does the word Narrative mean in this art context?

1. With lots of details
2. Telling a story
3. True to life
4. A winter landscape

Narrative

The paintings are narrative, with many anecdotes. For instance, included in the painting "Winter landscape with skaters" are several lively details or little jokes: a couple making love, naked buttocks, and a peeing male.

Depth

Avercamp used the painting technique of aerial perspective. 

The depth is suggested by change of color in the distance. 

To the front objects are painted in richer colors, such as trees or a boat, while farther objects are lighter. 

This technique strengthens the impression of depth in the painting.

Forms
of showing
depth on a
flat surface

Depth

Aerial perspective: colours become less vibrant the farther away they are

Linear perspective: a system where all parallel lines converge in a single vanishing point on the composition's horizon line.

Overlap: objects are placed in front of each other

Placement/Stacking: objects are placed higher to appear farther away

Diminisching scale/detail: objects are smaller and less details when farther away.

1. Overlap
2. Placement/Stacking
3. Diminishing scale/detail
4. linear perspective.

1. Overlap
2. Placement/Stacking
3. Diminishing scale/detail
4. linear perspective.

1. Overlap
2. Placement/Stacking
3. Diminishing scale/detail
4. linear perspective.

1. Overlap
2. Placement/Stacking
3. Diminishing scale/detail
4. aerial perspective.

1. Overlap
2. Placement/Stacking
3. Diminishing scale/detail
4. aerial perspective.

How can you see
these two were
very wealthy

Rembrant and Caravaggio

Rembrandt was highly inspired by Caravaggio's use of light and dark.

We use the Italian word Chiaroscuro this roughly means, “light and dark.”

In French this is Clair Obscure.

Contrast in light and dark

Chiaroscuro or Clair Obscure: a big contrast in light and dark

Repoussoir: the light is pushed back or surrounded by dark

Look at the pictures and choose if its clair obscure or repoussoir.

1. Chiaroscuro
2. Repoussoir

1. Chiaroscuro
2. Repoussoir

1. Chiaroscuro
2. Repoussoir

1. Chiaroscuro
2. Repoussoir

For now the end of the lesson

next week we'll discuss:

the baroque period in art history

Composition

and movement

Homework:

Look for a picture of a figure piece from the Baroque

Take a good look at the proportions and try to sketch it.