10.15.2012

DUTCH PAINTINGS AT THE TOLEDO ART MUSEUM

After my Netherlands trip two years ago I really became enamored with paintings by the Dutch and Flemish Masters.  The Toledo Art Museum has many excellent works by the artists of the Dutch Golden Age in their permanent collection.

Van Campen Family Portrait in a Landscape (1620s) by Frans Hals
Along with Rembrandt and Vermeer, Frans Hals was one of the Netherlands' 17th-century Dutch Masters.  This painting is one of Hals' earliest examples of group family portraiture. A year or two after completing the portrait, for some unknown reason, another painter was asked to add the figure of the child in the lower left corner; the style is noticeably different from that of Hals.

Young Man with Plumed Hat (1631) by Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt painted many exotically clothed character studies which he used to display his skill at depicting textures and light effects.

The Happy Child (1645-1650) by Carel Fabritius
Carel Fabritius is often considered Rembrandt's most gifted student.  Tragically he died in 1654 at the age of only 32 at the height of his career in the massive explosion of the Delft gunpowder factory.  Many of Fabritius' paintings were also destroyed in the explosion.

Allegory of Vanity (1633) by Jan Miense Molenaer
Haarlem artist Jan Miense Molenaer was one of the leading painters of genre scenes, scenes of everyday life, in the first half of the 17th century.  He was also the husband of Judith Leyster, a female artist who I have previously written about.

Peasants before an Inn (1650s) by Jan Steen
 
Like Molenaer, Jan Steen was a master of the genre scene; however, Steen became known for his boisterous scenes full of humorous anecdotes that often carried messages warning of foolish behavior.

Courtyard, Delft (1650s) by Pieter de Hooch
Like his fellow Delft painter Johannes Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch specialized in quiet scenes of Dutch domestic life especially courtyards at the back of upper middle class homes.  This painting may be de Hooch's earliest example of the subject.

Landscape with Cattle (1660s) by Salomon van Ruysdael
Salomon van Ruysdael was called De Goyer until he and his brother Isaack changed their name to Ruysdael, after the castle near their father's birthplace.  He was known for his landscapes and river scenes.

The Water Mill (1664) by Meyndert Hobbema
Meyndert Hobbema was a student of Jacob van Ruisdael (Jacob's uncle was Salomon, but Jacob spelled Ruisdael with an "i" instead of the "y".)  Hobbema specialized in forest landscapes.

Still Life with Oysters (1642) by Pieter Claesz
Pieter Claesz was one of the pioneers of a type of Dutch still life known as the "breakfast piece" which featured simple meals painted in tones of gray and brown.

Winter Scene on a Canal (1615) by Hendrick Avercamp
Hendrick Avercamp was known as the "Mute of Kampen" due to his deafness.  He was one of the first Dutch artists to specialize in winter scenes.

Supper at Emmaus (1616) by Hendrick Terbrugghen
According to the Gospel of St. Luke, after the death of Christ, two of his disciples traveling down the road to Emmaus met a stranger and invited him to join them.  At supper the stranger blessed the bread and broke it to give to the disciples.  Immediately the disciples saw the stranger was Christ risen from the dead.  After spending ten years painting in Italy Terbrugghen brought back to his native Utrecht a style with dramatic contrasts of light and shade influenced by Caravaggio.

Portrait of a Man (1630) by Anthony van Dyck
By the time he reached his twenties and after years of working as an assistant to Peter Paul Rubens, van Dyck was sought after by distinguished patrons in Britain, Italy and southern Netherlands due to the easy grace, aristocratic reserve and elegance that he imparted to his sitters.

The Crowning of St. Catherine (1631 or 1633) by Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most sought-after artists during the 17th century.  Based primarily in Antwerp, Rubens was hailed as the "God of Painters".  He worked for most of the courts of Europe.

In the next post I'm going to show you my favorite American paintings plus other favorites.

For more information visit: http://www.toledomuseum.org/.

Toledo Art Museum
2445 Monroe Street
Toledo, OH   43620
Phone: 419.255.6000

For directions: click here.
  • Admission is FREE every day for all visitors.
  • There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
  • Closed Mondays.
  • Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
  • Open 10:00-4:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
  • Open 10:00-10:00 on Friday.
  • Open 10:00-6:00 on Saturday.
  • Open 12:00-6:00 on Sunday.
NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Toledo Art Museum in May, 2012.

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