Dutch Golden Age

In which I discover that the Laughing Cavalier is neither laughing nor Cavalier…. But more of a shy, painted speed dater. Fascinatingly, once you venture through the sumptuous splendidness of the Wallace Collection, to discover Frans Hals male portraits almost in the basement, you can tell whether the subject was married or would like to meet by the direction they were facing (right…

A new and fertilising stream of trade set in with the utilisation of the shortened ocean route, giving prosperity to trade and strengthening the finances of the possessions. — Wright and Breakspear (1909). The Suez canal in Egypt caught the world’s attention recently. A huge cargo ship got stuck diagonally…

The harsh reality described in obscure booklets and pamphlets, and unpublished documents such as the Rhemrev Report, was for years simply denied, ridiculed in the second room, and avoided in historiography as not spoken of in civilized society. And this polarization actually still exists. (Rudy Kousbroek, NRC Handelsblad, October 16…

The seventeenth century was a golden age for Dutch art. During this time period, the Dutch Republic enjoyed a period of unparalleled economic success that was paired with a flourishing of science, art, and culture. Many artists-including the famous Rembrandt van Rijn-made their reputations during this time, including an unprecedented…

Have you ever wonder why the life that you wanna live in, sometimes seems so unreachable? Why at least 90 per cent of things that you wish so hard, are material based? Well here is the truth. We live during a time with high respect for phenomenal lives — that…

The fate of Judith Leyster and her work is the perfect example of toxic gender bias and inequality in art history. Also, we can learn that fools are everywhere. — She was one of the first women accepted to the Guild of St. Luke in Haarlem (1633). At that time, the indisputable star among artists in this Dutch city was Frans Hals, a genius portraitist and genre painter, famous for his loose brushwork.

Today, I want to talk about the work of my favorite Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Although Vermeer is probably best known for his painting Girl with the Pearl Earring, one of his most interesting pieces is — in my opinion — View of Delft. View of Delft (the Dutch city…