Dutch Paintings and Realism

Still Life Paintings: Dutch Republic

  • Still life is a major category in Dutch paintings.

  • It is divided into four subcategories:

    • Flowers

    • Fruit and vegetables

    • Seafood and games: Animals hunted for sport (e.g., rabbit, deer, quails, ducks).

    • Man-made objects: Illustrated by Willem Kalf (discussed previously) and Peter Claesz.

Vanitas Still Life

  • Vanitas de Life (Peter Claesz, 1630): A subgenre of still life with a moral lesson about material possessions.

    • Objects represent worldly belongings.

    • The lesson: Material possessions are temporary and cannot be taken beyond life.

    • Warning: Do not be overly attached to material possessions or superficial vanity.

  • Vanitas = Vanity, warning against vanity based on ownership.

  • Memento Mori: An object in a vanitas painting that reminds the viewer of death and the transience of life. Always present in vanitas paintings.

  • Identifying a Vanitas Painting: Look for memento mori objects (reminders of death).

Memento Mori Examples in Vanitas de Life (Peter Claesz)

  • Skull: The most obvious and straightforward symbol of death.

  • Empty Tipped-Over Glass: Represents life running out or ending.

  • Oil Lamp with No Light: Symbolizes the light of life extinguished.

  • Bones: Represent human remains and mortality.

Flower Still Life

  • Rachel Ruysch, Flower Still Life, 1700: Flowers bloom at different times, implying the artist did not paint directly from life.

  • Process: Artists sketched individual flowers and then composed the painting in their mind.

  • Compositional Elements:

    • Entry point: The marigold, the closest flower to the viewer.

    • Brightest light: Directs the viewer's attention.

    • Compositional line: Starts from the marigold, follows the stem, lingers at the brightest area, and exits following another stem.

  • Details: Insects (bees, wasps, butterflies), reflecting the artist's background and interest in nature illustration, stemming from her father who was an insect illustrator.

Dutch Landscape Painting

  • Landscape: Nature, not humans, is the main subject, a new category in the Dutch Republic, unlike Italian paintings.

  • Process: Artists sketched outdoors and recomposed paintings indoors, with creative liberties.

View of Harlem from the Dunes at Haarlem (Jacob van Ruisdael, 1660)

  • Sky Dominance: The sky occupies approximately 70% of the image, dwarfing human activity.

  • Human Work: People working on linen fabric, a common industry, producing white collars for clothing.

  • Message: Highlights the insignificance of human work compared to God's creation.

  • God's Role: The sunshine helps drying the linen, symbolizing God's assistance in human endeavors.

  • Church: A large building (church) connects human and divine realms, contrasting with the sky and human activities.

Dutch Portraiture

  • Portraits: Showing likeness of people who paid for the image

Contrasting Portrait Styles

  • Frans Hals: Women Regents of the Old Man's Almshouse at Haarlem (c. 1664)

    • Presents women staring forward, similar to school photos

    • Arranges figures at different levels to add some visual interest.

  • Rembrandt van Rijn: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632)

    • Shows people engaged in an activity (anatomy lesson), adding interest.

    • Varying interests among the audience.

    • Dynamic composition with heads at different levels.

    • Lighting: Bright light on the corpse, drawing the viewer's attention.

    • Takes risks to create a satisfying composition, beyond just a portrait.

    • Teacher the leader is more at the center of attention.

Group Portraiture

  • Frans Hals: Officers of the St Hadrian Civic Guard Company, 1633

    • Numerous figures, tries to show each one clearly.

    • Uses different weapons, banners, and poses to make the image interesting.

    • Bright lighting to ensure everyone's face is visible.

  • Rembrandt van Rijn: The Night Watch (The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq Preparing to March Out), 1642

    • High contrast lighting, not everyone is clearly seen.

    • Presents an event (preparing for a parade) with activity and hubbub.

    • Includes a dog barking and children.

    • Highlights the people who paid, with clearer features.

    • Takes risks to create a dramatic and interesting painting, not just a portrait.

Rococo Period

  • Time Frame: 18th century, originating in Paris, France.

    • Typical Subject Matters: People having fun, carefree, enjoying themselves.

    • Colors and Lighting: Colorful, safe, idyllic environments.

    • Themes: Teasing, courting, and lightheartedness; lacks morality tales or religious messages.

    • Patrons: Wealthy nobility who live carefree, luxurious lives.

    • Reflection: These patrons commission paintings reflecting their enjoyable and luxurious activities.

  • Interior Design Style: Ornate, luxurious, reflecting the wealth of the patrons.

Key Elements of Rococo Paintings

  • Carefree people fallin in love or courting.

  • Involves some kind of secret

  • Colors and environments are light and pleasing

The Swing (Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767)

  • Depicts a girl on a swing kicking off her shoe, with hidden meanings.

  • A young man in the bushes is watching, part of the secret.

  • Cupid figure signals to keep the secret.

  • The man pushing the swing is unaware of the rendezvous or the other secret.

  • Lush landscapes are typical of the Rococo style.

  • Pop Culture Allusion: Steven Universe is based on the art.

Happy Lovers (Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1760)

  • Well-lit wilderness setting without dangers.

  • Two people enjoying each other's company.

  • Teasing: The girl holds a cage, as the boy has a white dove, referring to love and marriage.

  • Safe subject matter: Couple falling in love

  • Colors: Bright, primary colors and pastel skirts.

The Enlightenment

  • Dates: 1750 to 1800.

  • Also Known As: The Age of Reason. Emphasized rationality, logic, and science.

  • Rejection: Superstitions and faith-based beliefs.

  • Impact: Secular world with emphasis on scientific methodology and experiment.

  • Technology and Industry: Use of natural resource for fuel and the rapid change of machine and technology.

  • Industrial Revolution: Powered by the steam engine, facilitated factories and transportation. Especially in Europe and eventually, The United States.

Painting and Enlightenment Values

  • Joseph Wright of Derby, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768)

    • Demonstrates the power of science by creating a vacuum

    • Experimenter places a bird (symbol soul/life) inside

    • The bird struggles to breath during experiment

    • Families are frightened, but also curious.

    • Painting by Wright of Derby (1768): Supports Enlightenment ideals.

    • Depicts people observing a scientific demonstration of the solar system.

    • Age Groups: Includes people of all ages, young to old.

    • Genders: Includes both males and females.

    • Supports concept: Everyone can participate in scientific observation.

    • Brightest: the kids

Neoclassicism

  • Based on Mythology and Historical Events: Stories from ancient Greek and Rome.

  • Underlying Message: Virtue that is a positive action one should do, unlike a morality lesson in Dutch painting.

Mother of the Gracchi (Angelica Kauffmann, 1785)

  • Story: A ladies came to show of her jewels to Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi.

    • Mother of the Gracchi: Middle of Attention vs the neighbor.

  • Woman in red (neighbor) is a * of a snarky lady.

  • Then, the mother shows her two children as here are my jewels.

  • Children are precious and should be treated like jewels.

  • Connection: The two children grow up to become famous politicians in ancient Rome, which means it's going to pay off big much later.

    • She raised her children and focused on education, not materialistic objects.

The Oath of the Horatii (Jacques-Louis David, 1785)

  • Most important neoclassical painting with significant impact on French history.

  • Story: From ancient Rome, during war with Alba Longa.

  • Rome has chosen the warriors the Horatti brothers.

  • Three Roman warrior make the earth

    • They swear they will never retreat to do whatever is necessary to make Rhome win.

  • Message: Sacrifice yourself for the fatherland or the country for a patriotic virtue message.

  • Straight lines gives the idea of something certain.

    • Father is taking the oath, being on top means everything is looking good.

Symbolic Representations

  • During the Age of Enlightenment, men are associated with logic and reason.

  • Women are associated with feelings or emotions.

  • French Revolution is with having inspiration.

  • French Revolution: Inspired by the painting, leading to a call to action.

  • David: Was the best person for a revolution

  • Oath of the Tennis Court (Jacques-Louis David, 1791)

    • People are making a difference.

    • Is making the promise to create a new constitution.

    • Moment of citizens coming together to the country.

    • The weather is there and supporting them because it's like wow they're like the elements.

Romanticism

  • Dates: First half of the 19th century (1800-1850); is a reaction against logic thinking

  • Subject Matter: A disillusionment because of disappointment with reason.

  • Two types:

    • Exotic: Places that are strange of forgein
      *Napoleon had just and has to come from the culture that they are more found culture that's familiar.

    • Sublime: The awe inspiring greatness of nature. And sometimes nature just can do what is going to do.

Art historical change with artists looking for painting

  • To talk on the heartstring.

  • Two sides to look at to have a great feeling

  • To have change in painting to have that change.

  • Three artists need to know:

    • Eugene Delacroix also French
      *Theodore Gericault also French
      *JMW Turner is from British.

The Death of Sardanapalus (Eugène Delacroix, 1827)

  • Falls under the exotic because is having a place outside of french

  • Is a King who is losing his palace and want all his most prized possessions taken with him.

  • Want to present his self the way with his sword and jog.

  • Middle Eastern that isn't what the French like and the way they're not dress for over here. Elephant and culture is really popular here.

  • High temperature because he want to show the movement to show that everything is good and for her to shock the audience that they are in the painting.
    The shock is going to her she's being hell from behind and want you to to know that it's going down and he's going to to give it and you have to look at those people.
    This is the time that they had it down because it was also going back to him.
    And also the color and the heat. And I can't tell you what the color is here, is so hot.

The Raft of the Medusa (Théodore Géricault, 1819)

  • It does fit because of a reason because of what it has is that they have so here in it. Then look that and then go look at it and what it can tell so don't just fill in sadness and then look at it.

  • It's is filled with dynamic action to have there and is all about the great detail by the colors that they would fill in it.

Romanticism (J.M.W. Turner)

  • Fisherman at Sea. And you're gonna feel the heat that the ocean is gonna do to what everything is wanted and it's from whatever what's going to happen. Also, there isn't anything that is great about to do about it.

  • The human element is little to tell and look what's gonna do with what it is. And is all about the sublime to tell us about it.

Realism

  • Between the year of 1850 to 1900's this is where there will be at

    • It's the thing that you know that will say that it's really what it is. Is it the thing that you can see?

    • And that's what they would be lashing up to.

    • They would want to be on painting of what they would see. But you would not see the top. But let them have the chance.

*Corbet: burial is from 1850 and you can tell because it's what he sees and this is how it

  • Is that that they have and it's great and I've shown here.

    • Gleaners (Jean-François Millet, 1857): Show the farmers and what farmers are for it . so you can do whatever it is.

    • Well most people don't get that and can't remember that part that has it down.

    • To has the most to show than it is. And do show it to all.

  • The Rack Picker (Édouard Manet, 1869): Show people that you don't see that are around to get to see. And mostly they are hard up.

Let's talk about some artist

  • All of time the detail aren't gonna be great for it.
    Like 1860's with it and more what and
    They were upsetting people at the time to the artwork that they were doing
    And some time we don't even know now what do to do with that that what they came out with.
    Impressionism is all of that at it's time what all of know.
    And that is what Impressionism and that is that