17th Century Masters of Dutch Painting Essay

The Baroque Art Style Movement st artificeed in the seventeenth century. This period was characterized by complex art entitle which is touched by the urge to tap the different emotional states which is turntically pre moven by appealing to the senses. The dominant characteristics of this period were grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a course to blur distinctions ( Pioch, 2002, Baroque). The Dutch were unrivaled of those who perfected this particular style and they have generated some of the critically acclaimed Baroque masterpieces in art history.Jan Vermeer, Jan Steen and Gabriel Metsu were righteous three of the masters of Dutch word- paint who have immensely contri excepted to the suppuration of the arts in the Netherlands. Vermeers Woman belongings A Balance, Steens The Drawing Les boy and Metsus Young Woman course session A letter were some of the noted creations that have embodied the novelty of literary genr e Dutch paintings. These art pieces were immediately accepted by the public because they resembled an honest and materialist art that sidle uped art as an end in itself and not as a mere vehicle for emphasizing values from other realms of human thought. more than so, these paintings focused on a common theme which is the depiction of house servant daily animateness wherein women where the central characters. The artists used this theme to emphasize that the homes were not merely structures but also the foundation of morals in the society. In attachition, the role of women in the paintings was intended to help bring serenity to the viewers in order for them to easily adapt to the overwhelming changes that were introduced in the 17th century (cited in Janson, 2008, The Subject Matter of Dutch Domestic Interiors). impose more Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essayJan Vermeer was an artisan who is know for his trade designs of crafty play with light and color, inclusi on of graphics with poetic woodland and the exploration of spatial relationships. The camera obscura was the tool he used add a realness factor to his paintings (Pioch, 2002, Vermeer, Jan). In Woman Holding A Balance, Jan Vermeer illustrated a unseasoned muliebrity holding a pair of complete weighing scales who was probably going to measure the mass of the valuable materials place on the table.Moreover, other elements were also harmoniously integrated in the artistic production such as the painting of the stopping point Judgment which signified a Christian biblical event the weighing scales which symbolized justice the light approaching from the window suggested spiritual enlightenment and the mirror in front of the woman represented conceitedness. All of these elements exemplified the significance of resisting temptation of material supplegs and living passably in order to obtain salvation (National purport of Art, 2008, Vermeer).Meanwhile, Jan Steen was branded as one o f the most productive painters of the Dutch art scene. He was know for his versatility, richness of characterization, inventiveness in composition, skillful manipulation of change (Janson, 2008, septet Dutch master Jan Steen). The Drawing Lesson captu wild the scene of an art instructor instruct a preadolescent male and a beautiful young gentlewoman most likely about drawing. The art studio was filled with a variety of art paraphernalia that were strewn all over the place. There were au naturel(predicate) sculptures, paint brushes, easels and other art materials.Vanity was also represented by dint of the presence of a laurel wreath, a skull, wine, a fur muff, a book, a lute, and a pipe to impart Steens message that popularity and life atomic number 18 not permanent in the physical world. This uncomplicated middling scene is a symbolic representation of the lives of artists and the nature of their profession (J. capital of Minnesota Getty Trust, The Drawing Lesson). Moreover , another(prenominal) Dutch painter who made a mark in the field of Baroque art was Gabriel Metsu who was also a son of a painter.He founded the Leiden painters guild where he learned to create genre scenes that showed the influences of Nicolaes Maes, Gerrit Terborch and the Delft school. More so, his technique evolved from the quite broadly painted Leiden works to the punctilious fjnschilder manner of his later Amsterdam years (Janson, 2008, Seven Dutch Masters Gabriel Metsu). In Metsus painting of Woman Reading a Letter, shows a woman reading material a letter probably from a wooer or a male correspondence.Actually, this painting is a continuation of another Metsu painting called human being Writing a Letter and when these two pieces are interconnected, a story of courtship between a man and a woman is established. Meanwhile, the wet-nurses momentary movement contrasts with the concentration of the young woman who, one senses, will not move until she has finished reading the letter. Love was also cleverly symbolized in the painting which is in the formula of the seascape painting mounted on the wall which probably was say to represent the risks involved in having relationships (Web Gallery of Art, 1996, Metsu, Gabriel).In terms of esthetical qualities, the three paintings showcased a variety of distinct elements including color, light, texture, lines, and brushstrokes. In Woman Holding A Balance by Vermeer, the artist combined all aesthetical elements to produce one exquisite picture. Vermeer employed nighter shades of color but accents of blue, yellow and white were visible to avoid monotony. More so, the light came from unless source which was at the window that directly lighten up the serene administration of the woman.Since this painting symbolically suggests living a balanced life, the compositional lines proportionately dissected the whole picture that emanated uniformity and a sense of space. The technique used by Vermeer for his brush strokes was impasto wherein he densely put paint on the canvas to make strokes using a paintbrush finished by thin glazes. In summing up, played with camera obscura to create a specular highlight as seen on the pearls on the table which were painted with two layers of color.Overall, these elements the dark colorise, the orthogonal lines, impasto brushstrokes, the objects that surround the woman like the balance and painting of the Last Judgement , all reinforced the theme of spiritual moderation(National Gallery of Art, 2008, Vermeer). Many different objects and elements were incorporated in The Drawing Lesson by Steen. all object has a corresponding meaning and significance. The colors of brown, pink, grey, blue and red were delicately subdued to seamlessly mesh the variety of objects in the picture.In addition the colors, lighting and the placement of the objects were very strategic that despite the many elements present, the painting did not style cluttered. More so, each obj ect included in the painting suggested a symbolical meaning, the viewer just needs to appearance closely and try to comprehend the message of Steen. Typically Steen gives a spot of information about individual characters, but leaves the viewer to ponder the limited twists of the narrative, and to admire the artist for his clever allusions (Wiseman, Dutch and Flemish Art). The focal point of the painting was the teacher and his pretty young student.The pastel colors of pink and blue contrasted by the gold and dark red colors emphasized the young woman and her dress which suggested that she is aristocratic in nature. slice the art teacher was depicted in an ordinary attire to show that he is a commoner trying to break into the exclusive order of the rich by teaching their children how to make art. In the position of the artist, the young woman and the boy, it could be drawn that there exist a surplus relationship between the teacher and his pupil and that the other student notic es their deep love affair. However, this interpretation was not confirmed by Steen. He treasured his artworks to insinuate different messages depending on the viewers perception. For Woman Reading a Letter Metsu wanted to tell a story of love, drama and anticipation. This painting was clearly the continuation of Metsus other painting called Man Writing a Letter. Compared to the two previous artworks, this one had been brightly illuminated and the dominant colors were of light shades and hues.At first glance, one may think that this is a sublime scenario but if one would look closely and analyze the objects that surround the woman, one can realize that this painting suggests otherwise. The tranquil face of the woman reading the letter is contradicted by the pell-mell seascape painting on the wall. Also, the dropped shoe and the worried position of the maid support the theory that something bad might have happened to the man who sent the letter. Every aspect of this painting had b een craftily incorporated to tell a provoking story.