Art from the Dutch Golden Age

this is what Dutch art from the 17th century looks like small finely crafted paintings often depicting the simple things in life the home town country and people from all walks of life they are so realistic that you can almost smell the flowers feel the fabrics taste the oysters and watch the caterpillars crawl right out of the frame even now Rembrandt's intense eyes Vermeer's quiet interiors and the riot of blooms in a classic Dutch still-life excite and inspire so what makes Dutch art from this time so special what made it a golden age in other parts of Europe paintings were generally very grand and a bit more ostentatious artists mostly painted dramatic religious scenes for cathedrals or glorified the qingyan flamboyant portraits art from the Dutch Republic was different for three reasons the first is politics the Dutch had broken away from their Spanish rulers to form a republic in the northern provinces of the Netherlands for the first time art collecting was largely in the hands of wealthy middle class citizens who were less interested in seeing pictures of Kings and more interested in portraits of textile traders doctors or artists and this also explains why ordinary people doing ordinary things could all of a sudden be a subject in art the second reason is religion unlike its Catholic neighbors the Dutch Republic was Protestant and images were forbidden inside its churches so artists began making more secular pictures with subjects like the backyard or pouting kids but they were still deeply pious people so often their paintings were filled with spiritual meaning like contemplating Scripture or one's own impending doom the third reason that art from the Dutch Republic was different is all about money isn't it always over the course of the 17th century the Dutch led lucrative expeditions to Asia even bumping into Australia a few time's soon they dominated international trade becoming one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world wealthy traders wanted pictures of their adventures on the high seas their foreign trading posts the CEOs and the loot with so much extra cash around more people could buy art for their homes and offices and so Europe's first competitive art market was born producing some of history's most brilliant painters they set themselves apart by becoming technical masters of one particular subject winter landscapes River landscapes city landscapes landscapes with cows flowers fruit trunks paper dead rabbits poultry you name it there was a brilliant Dutch artist who specialized in it and then this Rembrandt who was good at everything so there it is a wealthy Protestant independent people who loved pictures the magic combination for a golden age of art [Music] you

Channel: Art Gallery of NSW

Views: 44,575

Keywords: Dutch painting, Golden age, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Art Gallery of NSW, exhibition

Id: dwJmO3I9lWw

Length: 3min 25sec (205 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 08 2017