The Secular Baroque in the North

THE ART OF OBSERVATION

The Netherlands

Holland

Amsterdam
Canals

Amsterdam

Dams, Dikes and Windmills

Tulip fields

Calvinist Amsterdam: City of Contradictions

Highly commercial
acquisition of all kinds of goods a fundamental preoccupation
Center of commerce in European north Goods traded from throughout the globe

Rigidly religious austere in doctrine and in church decoration

The Dutch Empire in the 1600s

Still Life with Parrots,

c. 1645, Jan Davidsz. Dutch, 1606-1683/84

de Heem

Where do the objects in this painting come from? Do you think it would be easy to get these items in Europe in the 1600s? Who would have had these objects available in their home? Why are these objects in a Dutch/ Flemish painting?

Find in the painting:

2 exotic birds, 10 insects 3 glasses 4 containers of wine 11 kinds of fruit

The Dutch Empire

Many of the fruits and animals in this painting would have seen exotic to a Northern European viewer. They come from distant lands ruled by the Dutch or visited by Dutch merchants.

Can you match the fruits and animals in the painting with their likely place of origin?

The Dutch Empire

Shells from the West and East Indies

The Netherlands

Grapes from Southern climates (France, Italy?)

Lemons from the Southern Mediterranean (Spain?)

Scarlet macaw from Brazil Grey parrot from West and Central Africa

The Dutch Empire in the Ringling Museum

Exotic lands

A RURAL LANDSCAPE IN BRAZIL, Frans Jansz Post Dutch, 1612-1680, Ringling Museum

Amsterdams Independence
Calvinist resistance to Spanish dominion in 16th century

1567 Dutch flood their lands rather than submit to the Spanish Duke of Alba 1576 Spanish Fury leads to death of 7,000 citizens in Antwerp. 1581 northern provinces declare their independence from Spain Amsterdam becomes the most important port in the North displacing Antwerp. The Netherlands become a republic.

The Dutch Reformed Church

Proclaimed by Calvinist leaders

in 1571 Although not an official state religion in the Netherlands, any person in public service had to belong to this church. Strictly Calvinist in doctrine Strong belief in the predestination of salvation Good works were useless in gaining salvation

The Dutch Reformed Church

Interior of churches devoid of ornamentation reflecting the purity and propriety of the congregation

The Science of Observation

In the 17th century

Amsterdam was the most scientifically advanced city in the world. Inventions:

Lens Telescope Microscope

The Science of Observation

Astronomy:

Kepler perfects Copernicus heliocentric theory of the Universe. Galileo improves the microscope and discovers gravity. The Church authorities persecute, incarcerate, and/or execute scientists.

Dutch Painting
Marked by intricate attention to detail, Dutch paintings of the 17th century can be grouped in several categories: Still lifes: Landscapes

Dutch Painting
Portraits: either individual or group
Genre scenes: images of everyday life

Still Life

Flowers in a Wan-li Vase with Blue-Tit by Johannes Goedaert, c. 1660

Example of vanitas painting reminder that earthly pleasures do not last

Reflects righteous Protestant principles It evolves into a display of the wealth of the patron: exotic objects and flowers. Attention to detail: virtuosity of the painter.

Still Life Symbols

Some still life paintings, called vanitas (vanity, emptiness), use symbols to communicate religious messages. Food and luxury are portrayed to show the brevity of life and the worthlessness of earthly possessions. Some common symbols in vanitas paintings are: Symbols of power: crowns, scepters, jewels, coins Symbols of the Earth: insects, snails Symbols of the shortness of life: hourglasses, clocks, candles, smoke, soap bubbles, flowers, butterflies Symbols of eternal life: wheat, laurel, ivy Symbols of death: skulls, toads, shells, flower petals Symbols of the Eucharist: cornstalks, bread, wine, grapes Symbols of Christianity: apples, pomegranates, nuts

Museum of Fine Arts (Saint Petersburg)

Still Life with Parrots,

c. 1645, Jan Davidsz. Dutch, 1606-1683/84

de Heem

Symbols of power: crowns, scepters, jewels, coins Symbols of the Earth: insects, snails Symbols of the shortness of life: hourglasses, clocks,candles, smoke, soap bubbles, flowers, butterflies Symbols of eternal life: wheat, laurel, ivy Symbols of death: skulls, toads, shells, flower petals Symbols of the Eucharist: cornstalks, bread, wine, grapes Symbols of Christianity: apples, pomegranates, nuts

Jacob Fopsen van Es, Flemish, c. 1596-1666 Still Life with Oysters
Can you find any hidden messages here? Symbols of the Eucharist: cornstalks, bread, wine, grapes Symbols of Christianity: apples, pomegranates, nuts Symbols of lust: oysters Symbols of sin: oranges and apples

How realistic is this painting? How much attention has the painter given to the details? (Notice the reflection of the pewter dishes.)

Frans Snyders, attributed to Flemish, 1579-1657, active in Antwerp Still Life with Fighting Monkeys, 1630s

Can you find exotic animals and fruits in this painting as well? Do they have an attractive appearance? Why? Does this painting remind you of death?

Still Life with Dead Game, Frans Snyders and Workshop, Flemish, 15791657

How many animals can you identify? Are some of them exotic? Is there any fruit or other foods in the painting? Are they exotic?

Types of Still Life Paintings

Kitchen - food that is about to be prepared Banquet - expensive food and serving pieces with

luxury items like lobsters and exotic fruits Breakfast - simple food often with a bread roll and a glass Game - dead game, fruit, and hunting articles Flower - big floral arrangements that are often symbolic Fruit - local or exotic fruits and vegetables Vanitas - symbols are used to represent the fragility and shortness of life.

Technical Mastery
The extraordinary technical skill of still life painters earned them the admiration of later artists.

Savador Dal, Basket of Bread (1926), Dali Museum, Saint Petersbug, Florida

Jacob Fopsen van Es, Flemish, c. 1596-1666 Still Life with Oysters, Ringling Museum, Sarasota, Florida.

Landscape
May reflect Dutch

national pride at reclaiming extensive lands from the sea (similar to Gods recreation of the world after the Flood)

Much emphasis on the

infinite reaches of the heavens in such pictures

Portraits

Seek to convey the sitters vitality and personality Beginning with Frans Hals (1581-1666), group portraits depict dynamic social relationships, involved in activities of their organization, with subtle indications of rank, prestige, or power

Calvinist Portraits

Attention to Detail

Genre Paintings
May be boisterous, fun-filled

scenes or quiet domestic interiors

Depict the everyday,

commonplace world of Dutch life aspects emerge upon repeated viewing

Remarkably detailed new

Johannes Vermeer was a

notable artist in this genre.

Veermer and the Northern Tradition

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Johannes Vermeer

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Pre-eminent painter of

portraits group, individual, self-portraits

Highly dramatic use of light

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The Anatomy Lesson

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The Nightwatch

Features of Baroque Art in the North

Northern Baroque art is characterized by high levels of attention to detail. It reflects both scientific discovery of the era and religious conviction. Visual detail was understood as the earthly manifestation of the divine. Absence of religious themes Private demand rather than religious art commissioned by the Church