What is the secret of the popularity of the small Dutchmen of the 17th century, whose paintings the Hermitage and the Louvre are proud of today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The Lesser Dutch did not paint for palaces and museums. Perhaps the artists of that time would have been surprised to learn that their works adorn the halls of the Hermitage and the Louvre. No, the works of Dutch painters of the seventeenth century - except perhaps Rembrandt and other creators of large, monumental canvases - were intended for small living rooms with modest furnishings, for houses where ordinary townspeople or peasants lived. Neither before nor after art was so in demand by ordinary people, and the era of the Little Dutchmen itself gave birth to many new genres and new subjects in painting.

The Golden Age of Dutch Art

It is in Russian art history that these artists are called Little Dutchmen - for the rest of the world they are more likely masters who worked during the Golden Age of Dutch art. The seventeenth century was considered golden in the history of the country. The confrontation with Spain ended with the Dutch bourgeois revolution, a confederation arose - the Republic of the United Provinces. Production and trade developed rapidly and actively, and in a short time Holland turned into a rich and powerful state.

The rise in the standard of living of citizens led to the flourishing of art as well. They were not only interested in paintings, they were eager to acquire them - it became fashionable to decorate the house with paintings. In a country where about three-quarters of the inhabitants were city dwellers, the demand for paintings was then huge - and the peasants, from the wealthy, also willingly bought small canvases. Great demand gave rise to a corresponding supply. It is estimated that at that time there was an artist for every thousand people in Holland - a record figure in history. The masters did not work by order, as before - they wrote ready-made paintings and sold them, there were enough buyers. At the same time, not everyone could become an artist. The painters were overseen by the guilds in which they were required to be members and where they paid regular dues. This ensured a high level of work, their quality.

The small Dutch had something to rely on, the traditions were formed by the Flemish and Dutch painting, the old masters. The works of Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder had a great influence on the artists of the 17th century. At the same time, there was no single school uniting the creations of the small Dutchmen; this name was given according to some common features of the works of painting of that time.

What were the pictures of the small Dutchmen

First of all, the paintings were really small - primarily in comparison with the canvases that were created during the Renaissance for the halls of palaces and palazzo, for cathedrals and churches. Now the artist was required not to amaze with the size of the canvas, the scale or grandeur of the figures, but to decorate the urban interior and entertain - therefore, household painting became one of the main genres of the small Dutchmen. Plots from everyday life, often funny or ironic, filled with symbols and allegories, are what adorned the life and everyday life of a burgher and his household.

Still lifes were in great demand - at first, "floral" ones were in special demand - the image of a floriculture center was already taking shape then. Later, "breakfasts" began to come into fashion - compositions with a white tablecloth and shiny utensils. Gradually, still lifes became more and more luxurious, lush, exotic. A separate direction of this genre was vanitas - paintings designed to remind of the frailty of existence and the inevitability of death.

Many artists painted landscapes - it was during this period that images of nature and cities turned into an independent genre of art, taking on more functions than just creating a background. And here there were variations - artists painted seascapes and city views, forest landscapes and pastorals, night or winters, someone specialized in depicting forest fires.

The Dutch loved their homeland, which is why images of local nature were so in demand. Reflecting the beauty of what is near, before the eyes - that was the main task of artists. Dutch painters of the 17th century usually had a rather narrow specialization, this was demanded by fierce competition in the painting market. But working in their own niche made it possible to find "their" buyers. The choice of a painting by the future owner was usually determined by his profession, lifestyle. Scientists bought vanitas still lifes, wealthy peasants and provincial-born burghers - rural landscapes, stable owners and animal lovers bought paintings from animalists.

History in the paintings of the Little Dutch and the Little Dutch in history

In a general sense, this period belongs to the Baroque era - but without that pomp and splendor that distinguishes baroque painting by French, Italian and Spanish masters. In addition, among the creations of the small Dutch, there were no paintings on biblical subjects so widespread in Catholic Europe. Church art was not recognized in Protestant Holland, and therefore churches were not the customers or buyers of paintings. If scenes from the Bible appeared on canvases, they were depicted in a contemporary artist's setting, as if transferred to a new time. Major historical events and battles were also not popular with the small Dutch.

Their paintings were characterized by careful writing out of details, accuracy, refinement of technique, thoughtfulness of composition, use of halftones, shadows. Some used a pinhole camera during their work. It is known that this device was used by Jan Vermeer, who is sometimes called “the great little Dutchman”.

In just twenty years, starting in 1640, about 1.3 million paintings were written and sold in Holland. Often the plots were repeated, up to the complete copying of the work. The artists cared little about the uniqueness - after all, the purpose of the paintings did not imply that someday they would end up next to each other in some museum. At the same time, despite the number of works and the unpretentiousness of buyers, the creations of the small Dutch have become real pearls of painting.

The French invasion of 1672 significantly shook the art market, which after the end of the war no longer returned to the level of the golden age. Subsequently, the attitude towards the small Dutch was quite restrained - only in the twentieth century this phenomenon of European art was appreciated. Now, if it is possible to reproach these works for anything, it is definitely not that they seem old-fashioned, on the contrary, it is difficult to find a more suitable environment for small Dutchmen than modern life and current reality.

Another famous small Dutchman, who has overtaken Rembrandt in the cost of work, is of great interest today - Gerard Doe.