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CHAPTER TWENTY
THE BAROQUE IN THE NETHERLANDS
Video Links:
Charlie Rose “The Age of Rembrandt”
Vermeer: Master of Light Woman Holding a Balance, Part I
Compare and Contrast
Image Flashcards
Term Flashcards
Flanders
Key Images
Peter Paul Rubens, The Raising of the Cross, p. 700, 20.1
Peter Paul Rubens,
Ceiling, p. 701, 20.2
Peter Paul Rubens, Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, p. 703, 20.3
Primary Source: Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), from a Letter to Sir Dudley Carleton,
p. 704
Rubens, whose work was informed by the style of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and
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Rubens characterized the virtuoso artist of the Baroque period, having traveled
extensively, speaking several languages, and being well read. After being trained in
Antwerp, Rubens traveled to Italy where he studied the Italian artistic traditions for
eight years before returning to Flanders.
Still life painting was very popular in Flanders, including flower and food subjects.
The Dutch Republic
Key Images
Hendrick Goltzius, Farnese Hercules, p. 713, 20.14
Hendrick Terbrugghen, Singing Lute Player, p. 714, 20.15
Frans Hals, Banquet of the Officers of St. George Civic Guard, p. 715, 20.16
The Art Historian : Authenticity and Workshops: Rubens and Rembrandt, p. 718
Materials and Techniques: Etching, Drypoint, and Selective Wiping, p. 722
There were many artistic communities in the Dutch Republic, including Haarlem,
Utrecht, Amsterdam, and Delft. Most artists were associated with one area, with
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and in the Married Couple the couple is off center, adding to the realism of the work.
This sense of immediacy is heightened by Issac Massa s open mouth as he is caught
in mid-speech.
Judith Leyster was the most well-known follower of Hals, excelling in portrait and
The Market: Landscape, Still-Life, and Genre Painting
Key Images
Jan van Goyen, Pelkus Gate near Utrecht, p. 725, 20.27
Jacob van Ruisdael, Bleaching Grounds Near Haarlem, p. 726, 20.28
Jacob van Ruisdael, The Jewish Cemetery, p. 727, 20.29
Dutch art was characterized by landscape painting, the still-life, and genre painting.
Unlike works in Italy which were commissioned works, many Northern European
artworks were painted with the intention of selling them on the open market.
Many of these works were small in scale, suitable to display in a home.
Key Terms/Places/Names
Saskia van Uylenburgh
selective wiping
Discussion Questions
1. How was the theatricality of the Baroque period expressed in the work of Peter Paul
Rubens?
2. What accounts for the different artistic traditions in Haarlem, Utrecht, Amsterdam,
and Delft?
6. What elements of the pronk Still Life
with Exotic Birds (20.13)?
7. Singing Lute Player
(20.15)?
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Resources
Books
Alpers, Svetlana. The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1984.
Bonafoux, Pascal. Rembrandt, Master of the Portrait, tr. Alexandra Campbell. New
York: Harry Abrams, 1992.
Schama, Simon. The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the
Golden Age. New York: Random House, 1987.
Schwartz, Gary. Rembrandt: His Life, His Paintings. New York: Penguin, 1991.
DVDs
The Dutch Masters Rembrandt. (2006). Kultur Video. 50 min.
The Dutch Masters Rubens. (2006). Kultur Video. 50 min.