17th CENTURY NORTHERN BAROQUE ART
Theme: “New Subjects for a New Clientele”
Northern Europe was deeply – and mostly – Protestant. As such, the Catholic Church no longer acted as a premier patron. Instead, absolutist monarchs (Louis XIV, Charles I) and a wealthy Dutch mercantile class sought out new kinds of images: portraits, still lifes, genre paintings, landscapes, etc.
Historical Context (1600-1700)
- Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648): Catholic HRE vs. German Protestant kings caused devastating losses of life and economic vitality
- Disruption of Catholic Church’s power and control. By 1650, France dominates European politics and artistic patronage (Louis XIV)
- Scientific Revolution during the 17th century saw the introduction of physics, along with the increased awareness of space and matter in motion.
Artistic Innovations
The Classicists (also called Poussinsites) were inspired by Raphael. These artists used order, use of line and clarity. Naturalists (also called Rubenistes) were inspired by Titian and used color, energy, and vibrancy.
Painting
There were now new types of paintings, from genre paintings to landscape and still lifes. More than 500 painters in Holland worked exclusively of just still life paintings. There was an enormous demand for art.
Landscapes were treated naturally, although mostly still constructions.
Northern paintings all share similar qualities from the Renaissance to Baroque era:
- small scale
- vivid color
- interest in extreme detail
- iconography
- genre scenes
Architecture
Architecture during this time was grand, impressive, and displayed a knowledge of classicism.
Protestant churches built at the time did not utilize art in the manner of Catholic churches.
Sculpture
This was not a period of sculptural works. In fact, sculpture all but disappeared.
Dutch Baroque (1610-1670)
In the 15th century, the Netherlands were controlled by Duke of Burgundy of France. Then, in the early 16th century HRE Charles V annexed Netherlands and declared Spanish King Philip II as sovereign
In 1568 the Eighty Years’ War started.
In 1579 the United Netherlands (Northern) formed. This was a break away from Spanish Catholic control. They become an independent Protestant country called the Dutch Republic.
The war continued until 1648 when Philip IV recognizes independence
Spain retained the Southern Netherlands (Flanders) remained Catholic.
Religious art was forbidden, with no patronage from the church, royal court, and nobility. Instead, a prosperous middle class of merchants commissioned art and collected it. Art was now displayed within the home. The works now needed to be small and intimate.
Religious subjects, mythological stories, and historical events were avoided. The Dutch retained interest in symbolism (vanitas; memento mori) and in extraordinary realism.
1627. Oil on canvas.
(3) 87. Self-Portrait with Saskia.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Dutch. 1636. Northern (Dutch) Baroque.
© The Pierpont Morgan Library/Art Resource, N
Learning Objective: 17th century Northern Baroque (Dutch) etching
Themes:
Print
Male-female relationships
Portrait
Commemoration
Museum: Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
Self-Portrait with Saskia is an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn, that measures 4 feet by 3 feet 7 inches. Rembrandt illustrates himself using a lot of dark, deep lines, as he is in the foreground of the work. Saskia is composed of faint lines and less of them to indicate she is further away on the picture plane.
How was this Engraving Made?
The engraving is made with a burin. An image is carved or incised, into the surface of a metal plate using a burin. This object is a tool, with a flat round top that fits into the palm of the hand. It has a has a short, sharp tip. The width and depth of the engraved line depends upon the angle it is used.
Once the surface is cut it is covered with ink. This pools into the incised area. The ink is then wiped away from the surface. The surface is applied to paper with pressure.
Function
Saskia and his love for her, inspired Rembrandt to create this work. Prints were a way to make art accessible to more people, many of whom would later buy paintings.
The Couple Captured
This work is a double portrait or marriage portrait of Rembrandt and his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh. This is the only etching in which the two of them appear together. They look up at the viewer, as if they were just interrupted from enjoying a moment together. Both are sitting and a table and Rembrandt has a pencil in hid hand. He has been sketching.
Saskia is shown as supportive and attentive to her husband. Rembrandt dominates the image and gazes directly at the viewer. Both are wearing historical clothing from the 16th century.
The Theme of Self Portraits
Self-Portraits were a common theme for Rembrandt. He created more than 100 in the span of 40 years. He often posed his subjects in costume as a form of play acting.
Rembrandt met Saskia while working for her cousin, Hendrick, who was an Amsterdam art dealer. They were married and together for 13 years, until Saskia died. This etching was created after the couple’s second year of marriage.
Art and the Dutch Golden Age
Trade in the Dutch Golden Age brought with it incredible wealth. It was seen as an investment. It also subtly showed the wealth of the owner.
Prints were entry level artworks that allowed new investors to buy, before eventually buying paintings.
More About Rembrandt
Born in the Netherlands, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was a Dutch Baroque painter and print maker. He painted light and shades, while capturing moods and realism. Much of his work is biblical, as well as historical, but he also painted portraits and self-portraits.
Some of his most famous works include The Night Watch, The Storm of the Sea of Galilee, Bathsheba at the Bath, and The Return of the Prodigal Son.
(3) 92. Woman Holding a Balance.
© National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA/The Bridgeman Art Library
Johannes Vermeer. Dutch. 1664 CE. Northern (Dutch) Baroque.
Learning Objective: 17th century. Northern Baroque (Dutch) genre scene
Themes:
Genre
Status
Private
Technology
Light
Didactic
Religion
Iconography
Domestic
Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
In Woman Holding a Balance, an oil on canvass, measuring 1 foot 5 inches by 1 foot 3 inches, painted by Johannes Vermeer. The Northern characteristics in this work include:
- Use of iconography
- Incredible detail
- Small-scale works
- Interior scenes
- Genre scenes
There is a sense of geometric and mathematical stability. The room uses 1-point perspective. Everything radiates outward from the corner of the painting behind the woman’s hand. Her hand creates a pyramid that extends downward to the tabletop.
The Master of Light
Vermeer was known as the “master of light”. The light illuminates the front of the woman’s body as it spread across the room. The subtle use of color softens the light, especially blue and yellow.
Camera Obscura
The painting does not resolve clearly or come into focus until you reach the subject and her hand. This has led historians to wonder if he was using a camera obscura. The word means “dark chamber”.
This was an ancestor to the photographic camera. Camera obscura took 3-D works and transformed them into 2D. It requires a viewing lens and viewing screen in a box.
The light has a reflective quality, with distortion. Things are not in focus. A blue tinge was common from the glass and refraction of light. There is no historical evidence to show that Vermeer owned one, but the visual evidence seems uncanny.
Function of the Work
The painting urges us to conduct our lives with temperance and moderation lest we be judged. This is known as a vanitas, or vanity painting. It is didactic in that it warns us of moral depravity, vanity, and selfishness.
The theme is judging or weighing. The woman is accessing her goods, when it is her own soul that will be weighed or judged. It is actions that matter, not possessions. It urges for a relationship between wealth and spirituality, that encourages a balance between the two.
The Dutch were Protestant and therefore did not shun any display of wealth the way Catholics did, according to Catholic dogma. However, many were concerned that Dutch displays of wealth were becoming too lavish. People were more concerned with worldly possessions than spirituality.
One term coined by art historian Simon Schama for this idea: the embarrassment of riches.
The Content of the Work
Woman Holding a Balance is an extremely quiet genre scene. This is what Vermeer is known for. Women engaged in ordinary domestic activities, with tranquil and luminous interior scenes were frequent in his work.
The woman is pregnant, which is why art historians believe the model to be the artist’s wife Catherina Vermeer. The surroundings are very opulent. She is wearing exceptionally fine clothing, and a typical linen cap that women wore, while at home.
The woman holds in her right hand a balance with nothing on either side yet. The scale is at equilibrium. This is suggestive of her inner state of mind. She seems to be about to weigh the valuables in front of her — blue cloth, open boxes, two strands of pearls and a gold chain.
A mirror is across from her on the wall. Mirrors were a common type of iconography in Dutch Baroque art. They were meant to show vanity, futility, human excess, and concern for the worldly instead of the spiritual. Perhaps this is a vanitas: reminder of man’s mortality.
Last Judgment Painting
Behind the woman hangs a painting of Christ, who judges over all souls. It illustrates the blessed souls at the bottom left and the damned on the right.
The woman’s head is in a position that it divides the two. This starts the viewer questioning. Which side will she end up on? In the moment, the woman does not seem to notice the lesson or the painting.
Art historians have questioned if this painting, within a painting, really exists, or if it came from Vermeer’s imagination. It this painting is real it has never been found.
Historical Background
At this period of time, the Dutch were now Protestant. Religious art was forbidden and there was no central church to commission it. Instead, a prosperous middle class of merchants collected art and commissioned it.
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, trade and exploration of the New World and Southeast Asia led to Dutch dominance, especially in the spice trade. This created a tremendous wealth.
There was great anxiety over this wealth. It needed to be used appropriately. Art was displayed in home, so they needed small, intimate works. There was a taste for art about classical mythology, as well as still lifes, landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits.
About Vermeer
Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1676) created 34 works in his lifetime. Like other Golden Age artists, he painted subjects about everyday life.
The Girl with a Pearl Earring is his most iconic work. In fact, Hollywood made it into a movie! Other paintings include View from Delft and Girl with a Red Hat.
BREAKING NEWS! Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window has been under restoration. An x-ray revealed an image on the back wall behind the girl in the painting. Hidden under layers of paint, it was assumed that Vermeer had not been happy with the image and covered it.
Testing the paint sample, historians concluded that the paint over had occurred after the artist’s death! Therefore, the museum can to the decision to reveal the work in its full glory, as Vermeer would have wanted it to be seen.
There is a large cupid there, which is now visible. It seems the girl is reading a love letter!