This is my new book. So exciting.
It’s by Dr Norbert Wolf. It’s about the Dutch Golden Age.
The enlightenment ideals of this period lead to such a wonderful variety of achievements - exploration and trade, economic prosperity, religious freedom and especially art. Also, a period of considerable warfare - the Eighty Years war, the Anglo-Dutch war, Dutch East India Company etc.
The artistic and cultural flourishing in this period is absolutely incredible. The groundbreaking depictions of everyday peasant life and the rustic charm of 17th-century Netherlands is always so meticulous and so very beautifully, such as Jan Steen.
In any gallery I visit, whether it is the flower stills of Dutch painters (e.g., Rachel Ruysch) or the serene and intimate domestic interiors of middle-class life (e.g. Pieter de Hooch) - they are truly phenomenal and show a highly-detailed artistic flourishing.
And of course, we have Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens.
So, I will be focusing my future posts on this period, as I go through the book.
:)
Looks forward to the posts as you engage with the book.
ReplyDeleteDutch and (often Flemish) art in the C17th has always been my favourite. This was definitely the Golden Age of Dutch life, protecting Protestants and Jews, celebrating family life and being hugely successful in the merchant world and protecting the land.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Now I will get a copy for Amazon because they say Wolf applies his understanding of the interplay between history, culture, and art to explore the forces that led to Dutch prosperity and how the Dutch output influenced later artists.
The Dutch Golden Age was truly a time of remarkable achievements, especially in art, where everyday life was captured with such depth and beauty.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting read, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful book and will give you much pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting book. I look forward to your future posts.
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