Flemish painting is one of classical schools in history visual arts. Anyone interested in classical drawing has heard this phrase, but what is behind such a noble name? Could you, without hesitation, identify several features of this style and name the main names? In order to more confidently navigate the halls major museums and be a little less shy about the distant 17th century, you need to know this school.

History of the Flemish School

The 17th century began with an internal split in the Netherlands due to religious and political struggles for the internal freedom of the state. This led to a split in cultural sphere. The country splits into two parts, southern and northern, whose painting begins to develop in different directions. Southerners who remained in Catholic faith under Spanish rule, become representatives Flemish school, while northern artists are regarded by art critics as Dutch school.

Representatives of the Flemish school of painting continued the traditions of their older Italian colleagues-artists of the Renaissance: Raphael Santi, Michelangelo Buonarroti, who paid great attention religious and mythological themes. Moving along a familiar path, supplemented by inorganic, rough elements of realism, Dutch artists could not create outstanding works of art. The stagnation continued until he stood up at the easel Peter Paul Rubens(1577-1640). What was so amazing that this Dutchman could bring to art?

Famous master

Rubens' talent was able to breathe life into the painting of the southerners, which was not very remarkable before him. Closely familiar with the heritage of Italian masters, the artist continued the tradition of turning to religious subjects. But, unlike his colleagues, Rubens was able to harmoniously weave into classical subjects the features of his own style, which tended towards rich colors and depictions of nature filled with life.

From the artist’s paintings, as if from an open window, it seems to be pouring sunlight (« Last Judgment", 1617). Unusual solutions for constructing the composition of classic episodes from scripture or pagan mythology attracted attention to a new talent among his contemporaries, and still do. Such innovation looked fresh in comparison with the gloomy, muted shades of the paintings of his Dutch contemporaries.

The models of the Flemish artist also became a characteristic feature. Plump, fair-haired ladies, painted with interest without inappropriate embellishment, often became the central heroines of Rubens' paintings. Examples can be found in the paintings “The Judgment of Paris” (1625), "Susanna and the Elders" (1608), "Venus in front of the mirror"(1615), etc.

In addition, Rubens contributed influence on the formation of the landscape genre. He began to develop in the painting of Flemish artists to the main representative of the school, but it was the work of Rubens that set the main features of the national landscape painting, reflecting the local color of the Netherlands.

Followers

Rubens, who quickly became famous, soon found himself surrounded by imitators and students. The master taught them to use folk characteristics locality, color, and perhaps glorify unusual human beauty. This attracted spectators and artists. Followers tried their hand at different genres- from portraits ( Gaspare De Caine, Abraham Janssens) to still lifes (Frans Snyders) and landscapes (Jan Wildens). Household painting of the Flemish school is executed in an original way Adrian Brouwer And David Teniers Jr.

One of Rubens' most successful and notable students was Anthony Van Dyck(1599 - 1641). His author's style developed gradually, at first completely subordinated to imitation of his mentor, but over time he became more careful with paints. The student had a penchant for gentle, muted shades in contrast to the teacher.

Van Dyck's paintings make it clear that he did not have a strong inclination to construct complex compositions, volumetric spaces with heavy figures, which distinguished the teacher’s paintings. The gallery of the artist’s works is filled with single or paired portraits, ceremonial or intimate, which indicates the author’s genre priorities that differ from Rubens.

06.05.2014

The life path of Frans Hals was as bright and eventful as his paintings. To this day, the world knows stories about the drunken brawls of Khalsa, which he every now and then organized after major holidays. An artist with such a cheerful and violent character could not win respect in the country, state religion which contained Calvinism. Frans Hals was born in Antwerp in early 1582. However, his family left Antwerp. In 1591, the Khals arrived in Haarlem. France's younger brother was born here...

10.12.2012

Jan Steen is one of the most famous representatives Dutch school of painting from the mid-17th century. In the works of this artist you will not find any monumental or elegant paintings, nor bright portraits of great people or religious images. In fact, Jan Steen is a master of everyday scenes filled with fun and sparkling humor of his era. His paintings depict children, drunkards, ordinary people, Gulen and many, many others. Jan was born in the southern province of Holland, the town of Leiden around 1626...

07.12.2012

The work of the famous Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch is still perceived ambiguously by both critics and simply art lovers. What is depicted in Bosch’s paintings: demons of the underworld or simply people disfigured by sin? Who he really was Hieronymus Bosch: an obsessed psychopath, a sectarian, a seer, or just a great artist, a sort of ancient surrealist, like Salvador Dali, who drew ideas from the realm of the unconscious? Maybe his life path...

24.11.2012

The famous Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder created his own colorful style of painting, which significantly differed from other Renaissance painters. His paintings are images of a folk satirical epic, images of nature and village life. Some works fascinate with their composition - you want to look at them and look at them, arguing about what exactly the artist wanted to convey to the viewer. The peculiarity of Bruegel's writing and vision of the world are reminiscent of the work of the early surrealist Hieronymus Bosch...

26.11.2011

Han van Meegeren ( full name- Henricus Antonius van Meegeren) was born on May 3, 1889 in the family of a simple school teacher. All yours free time the boy accompanied his beloved teacher, whose name was Korteling, to the workshop. His father didn’t like it, but it was Korteling who managed to develop in the boy the taste and ability to imitate the style of writing of antiquity. Van Meegeren received a good education. He entered Delft Institute of Technology, where he took an architecture course at the age of 18. At the same time, he studied at...

13.10.2011

The famous Dutch artist Johannes Jan Vermeer, known to us as Vermeer of Delft, is rightfully considered one of the brightest representatives golden age of Dutch art. He was a master of genre portraits and the so-called household painting. The future artist was born in October 1632 in the city of Delft. Jan was the second child in the family and the only son. His father sold art objects and was engaged in silk weaving. His parents were friends with the artist Leonart Breimer, who...

18.04.2010

The already hackneyed phrase that all geniuses are a little crazy simply fits perfectly with the fate of the great and brilliant post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. Having lived only 37 years, he left a rich heritage - about 1000 paintings and the same number of drawings. This figure is even more impressive when you learn that Van Gogh devoted less than 10 years of his life to painting. 1853 On March 30, a boy, Vincent, was born in the village of Grot-Zundert, located in the south of Holland. A year earlier, in the family of a priest into which he was born...

I decided to make a selection of Dutch people who, in my opinion, are famous all over the world...

So let's get started:

Oh yes, in first place of course - Vincent van Gogh, not recognized during life, but loved modern world for bright colors and imaginary simplicity. To date this is the most popular artist among thieves.

Rembrandt van Rijn- great Dutch painter and engraver. One of his most famous paintings is The Night Watch, the painting is reputed to be mysterious. Art critics and art lovers have been scratching their heads over this painting for centuries. Thus, one venerable Dutch art historian of the early 19th century spent years to prove that the detachment goes to parade on the occasion of the arrival of the French Queen Marie de Medici in Amsterdam in 1639. The most alluring among the mysteries of the “Watch” is the image of a strange girl in a golden outfit... Modern Dutch people love and revere this artist very much... Since the beginning of the 20th century, a policy has been pursued of returning the paintings of this artist back to their homeland.

Johannes Vermeer of Delft. He lived for a short time, wrote little, and was discovered late. Vermeer's most famous and "touring" work is "Girl with a Pearl Earring", owned by the Hague Museum. Most of Vermeer's paintings belong to museums and private collectors in the United States. There is not a single work by this Dutch artist in Russia.

Anne Frank– The diary of the Dutch girl Anne Frank is one of the most famous and impressive documents about Nazi atrocities. Anna kept a diary from June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944. At first she wrote only for herself, until in the spring of 1944 she heard a speech on the radio by the Minister of Education of the Netherlands, Bolkenstein. He said that all the evidence of the Dutch during the occupation period should become public property. Impressed by these words, Anna decided after the war to publish a book based on her diary.

Paul Verhoeven- famous Dutch director. Creator of such films as: the fantastic action film "RoboCop" (1987), which grossed more than 50 million dollars at the box office, the super action movie "Total Recall" (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger in leading role. The greatest success was expected in the cult thriller Basic Instinct (1992), starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas. The erotic drama Showgirls (1995), which Verhoeven filmed after this, was a complete failure at the box office. The director managed to partially “rehabilitate himself” by filming the science fiction action movie “Starship Troopers” (1997). The science fiction thriller “The Invisible Man” (2000) was also partially successful, after the release of which Verhoeven took a six-year creative break.

Mata Hari- the main courtesan of world espionage. Margaretha Gertrude Zelle tied the knot with 38-year-old Rudolf McLeod. The couple, whose age difference was 20 years, met through an advertisement in a newspaper: the lonely officer McLeod wanted romantic communication with the opposite sex, and it was him who Margareta chose as the object of passion. However, some time after the marriage and moving to the island of Java, Margareta became disillusioned with her chosen one: a Dutchman of Scottish origin, McLeod, suffered from alcoholism, took out all his anger and unfulfillment in military affairs on his wife and two children, and also kept mistresses. The marriage was failing, and Margareta concentrated on studying Indonesian traditions, in particular local national dances. According to legend, it was in 1897 that she first began performing under the pseudonym Mata Hari, which in Malay means “sun” (“mata” - eye, “hari” - day, literally “eye of the day”). From this time on, the transformation into a spy begins...

Armin Van Buren– For all fans of electronic music, the name of the Dutchman Armin van Buuren is the name of a true legend. And this is not an exaggeration. It is truly difficult to overestimate the importance of this musician, DJ and simply exceptionally energetic personality for the entire trance industry.

Tiësto– Real name: Thijs Vervest. Tiesto is the number 2 DJ in the world (and often number 1 on DJMag's list). Tiësto broke the world record for drinking Red Bull in 24 hours, he managed to drink 31 cans - almost double the lethal dose, but he doesn't want to take it anymore.

Dirk Nicholas Lawyer– Dutch footballer (midfielder) and football coach, former coach of the national teams of the Netherlands, UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, as well as St. Petersburg Zenit, Rangers and other clubs. Having won the 2007 Russian Football Championship with Zenit, Advocaat became the first foreign coach to win this tournament. On May 28, 2008, Dick Advocaat was awarded the title of honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. Moreover, for this, the city parliament had to issue a special law for the coach personally, since the law of St. Petersburg “On the title of “Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg” did not allow Dick Advocaat to be awarded the title of honorary citizen “on a general basis.”

Benedict Spinoza- Dutch rationalist philosopher, naturalist, one of the main representatives of modern philosophy. He was born into a Jewish family, but the Jews excommunicated him. Christians hated him equally. Although the idea of ​​God dominates his entire philosophy, churchmen accused him of atheism. The years of Spinoza's life coincided with the beginning of the modern era. In his work, he carried out a synthesis of scientific ideas of the Renaissance with Greek, Stoic, Neoplatonic and scholastic philosophy.

Which famous Dutch people do you know? Share in the comments)

The Netherlands is a unique country that has given the world dozens of outstanding artists. Famous designers, artists and simply talented performers - this is a small list that this small state can flaunt.

The rise of Dutch art

The era of prosperity of the art of realism did not last long in Holland. This period covers the entire 17th century, but the scale of its significance greatly exceeds this chronological framework. Dutch artists of that time became role models for the subsequent generation of painters. So that these words do not sound unfounded, it is worth mentioning the names of Rembrandt and Hals, Potter and Ruisdael, who forever strengthened their status unsurpassed masters realistic image.

A very significant representative of the Dutch Jan Vermeer. He is considered to be the most mysterious character in the heyday of Dutch painting, since, although famous during his lifetime, he lost interest in his person less than half a century later. Little is known about Vermeer’s biographical information; mostly art historians have explored the history of him by studying his works, but there were difficulties here too - the artist practically did not date his paintings. The most valuable from an aesthetic point of view are considered to be Jan's works "Maid with a Jug of Milk" and "Girl with a Letter".

No less famous and respectable artists were Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, and the brilliant Jan van Eyck. All creators are distinguished by their appeal to everyday life, which is reflected in still lifes, landscapes and portraits.

Left its mark on subsequent development French art second half of the 17th century and became a model for realistic landscapes created during the Renaissance. Russian realist artists also paid attention to the Dutch. We can safely say that the art of the Netherlands has become progressive and exemplary and has managed to be reflected in the canvases of every outstanding artist who painted natural sketches.

Rembrandt and his legacy

The artist's full name is Rembrandt van Rijn. He was born in the memorable year 1606 into a family that was quite prosperous for those times. Being the fourth child, he still received a good education. The father wanted his son to graduate from the university and become an outstanding figure, but his expectations were not met due to the boy’s low academic performance, and so that all efforts would not be in vain, he was forced to give in to the guy and agree with his desire to become an artist.

Rembrandt's teachers were the Dutch artists Jacob van Swanenburch and Pieter Lastman. The first had rather mediocre skills in painting, but managed to gain respect for his personality, since he spent a long time in Italy, communicating and working with local artists. Rembrandt did not stay with Jacob for long and went in search of another teacher to Amsterdam. There he studied with Peter Lastman, who became a real mentor for him. It was he who taught the young man the art of engraving to the extent that his contemporaries can observe it.

As evidenced by the master’s works, executed in huge quantities, Rembrandt became a fully formed artist by 1628. His sketches were based on any objects, and he was no exception. human faces. When discussing portraits of Dutch artists, one cannot fail to mention the name of Rembrandt, who, from his youth became famous for his remarkable talent in this field. He painted a lot of his father and mother, which are now kept in galleries.

Rembrandt quickly gained popularity in Amsterdam, but did not stop improving. In the 30s of the 17th century, his famous masterpieces “Anatomy Lesson” and “Portrait of Coppenol” were created.

An interesting fact is that at that time Rembrandt married the beautiful Saxia, and a fertile time of abundance and glory began in his life. Young Saxia became the artist’s muse and was embodied in more than one painting, however, as art historians testify, her features are repeatedly found in other portraits of the master.

The artist died in poverty, without losing the fame he had acquired during his lifetime. His masterpieces are concentrated in all major galleries in the world. He can rightfully be called a master whose works represent a synthesis of all medieval realistic painting. Technically, his work cannot be called ideal, since he did not strive for accuracy in the construction of the drawing. The most important artistic aspect that distinguished him from representatives of the schools of painting was his unsurpassed play of chiaroscuro.

Vincent Van Gogh - a genius nugget

Hearing the phrase “great Dutch artists,” many people immediately picture in their heads the image of Vincent Van Gogh, his undeniably beautiful and lush paintings, which were only appreciated after the artist’s death.

This person can be called a unique and brilliant personality. Being the son of a pastor, Van Gogh, like his brother, followed in their father's footsteps. Vincent studied theology and even was a preacher in the Belgian town of Borinage. He also works as a commission agent and various moves. However, service in the parish and close contact with the harsh everyday life of miners revived young genius an internal feeling of injustice. Contemplating the fields and the life of working people every day, Vincent was so inspired that he began to draw.

Dutch artists are primarily known for their portraits and landscapes. Vincent Van Gogh was no exception. By his thirtieth birthday, he gives up everything and begins to actively engage in painting. During this period it was created famous works"Potato Eaters", "Peasant Woman". All his works are imbued with frenzied sympathy for ordinary people who feed the entire country, but can barely feed their own families.

Later, Vincent heads to Paris, and the focus of his work changes somewhat. Intense images and new themes for empathy appear. The half-prison lifestyle and marriage to a prostitute were reflected in his art, which is clearly visible in the paintings “Night Cafe” and “Prisoners’ Walk.”

Friendship with Gauguin

Beginning in 1886, van Gogh became interested in studying plein-air painting by the Impressionists and developed an interest in Japanese prints. It was from that moment that the artist’s works showed character traits Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec. First of all, this can be seen in the change in the transmission of color mood. Rich strokes begin to dominate the works yellow color, as well as a blue “sparkle”. The first sketches in a characteristic color scheme were: “Bridge over the Seine” and “Portrait of Father Tanguy”. The latter dazzles with its brightness and bold strokes.

The friendship between Gauguin and Van Gogh was of a correlational nature: they mutually influenced creativity, although they used different expressive tools, actively exchanged gifts in the form of their own paintings and argued tirelessly. The difference between the characters, the insecure position of Vincent, who believed that his pictorial manners were “rural bestial,” gave rise to controversy. In some ways, Gauguin was a more down-to-earth personality than V an Gogh. The passions in their relationship became so intense that one day they quarreled in their favorite cafe and Vincent threw a glass of absinthe at Gauguin. The quarrel did not end there, and the next day there followed a long series of accusations towards Gauguin, who, according to Van Gogh, was guilty of everything. It was at the end of this story that the Dutchman was so furious and depressed that he cut off part of his ear, which he kindly gave it as a gift to a prostitute.

Dutch artists, regardless of the era of their lives, have repeatedly proven to society their unsurpassed manner of transferring moments of life onto canvas. However, perhaps no one in the world has ever been able to achieve the title of genius without possessing any the slightest concept about drawing techniques, composition and methods of artistic expression. Vincent Van Gogh is a unique genius who managed to achieve worldwide recognition thanks to his perseverance, purity of spirit and exorbitant thirst for life.

Main trends, stages of development of painting and iconic painters of Holland.

Dutch painting

Introduction

Dutch painting XVII centuries are sometimes mistakenly considered art for the middle class, worshiping Flemish painting this period and calling it courtly, aristocratic. No less erroneous is the opinion that Dutch artists deal only with depicting the immediate human environment, using landscapes, cities, seas, and people’s lives for this purpose, while Flemish art is devoted to historical painting, which in art theory is considered a more sublime genre. In contrast to this, for public buildings in Holland, which had to have an imposing appearance, as well as wealthy visitors, whatever their religious beliefs or origins, required paintings with allegorical or mythological themes.

Any division of the Netherlandish school of painting into Flemish and Dutch branches up to early XVII V. due to the constant creative exchange between the areas, it would be artificial. For example, Peter Aertsen, born in Amsterdam, before returning to hometown in 1557 he worked in Antwerp, and his student and nephew Joachim Bukelaer spent his entire life in Antwerp. In connection with the signing of the Union of Utrecht and the separation of the seven northern provinces, many residents after 1579–1581. emigrated from the northern Netherlands to the Protestant part of the artificially divided country.

"Butcher shop". Artsen.

Development of art

The impetus for the independent development of Dutch painting came from Flemish artists. Bartholomeus Spranger, born in Antwerp and educated in Rome, became the founder of a virtuoso, courtly, artificial style, which, as a result of Spranger's temporary residence in Vienna and Prague, became an international "language". In 1583, the painter and art theorist Karel van Mander brought this style to Haarlem. One of the main masters of this Haarlem or Utrecht mannerism was Abraham Bloemaert.

Then Isaiah van de Velde, born in Holland to a family of emigrants from Flanders, and studying in a circle of painters centered on the Flemish artists David Vinkboons and Gillies Koninksloe, developed a realistic painting style in his early paintings, which referred to Jan Bruegel the Elder, with bright color gradations artistic plans. Around 1630, a trend towards unifying artistic space and merging colors took hold in Holland. different layers. Since then, the multifaceted nature of the things depicted gave way to a sense of space and an atmosphere of airy haze, which were conveyed with a gradually increasing monochrome use of color. Isaiah van de Velde embodied this stylistic revolution in art together with his student Jan van Goen.

Winter landscape. Velde.

One of the most monumental landscapes of the High Baroque, "The Great Forest", by Jacob van Ruisdael, belongs to the next period of development of Dutch painting. The viewer no longer has to experience the rather amorphous appearance of a sprawling space in gray-brown tones with a few striking motifs; henceforth the impression is made of a fixed, energetically accentuated structure.

Genre painting

Dutch genre painting, which, in fact, can hardly be called just portraiture Everyday life, often carrying a moralistic message, is represented in Vienna by the works of all its main masters. Its center was Leiden, where Gerard Doux, Rembrandt's first student, founded a school known as the Leiden School of Fine Painting (fijnschilders).

Figurative painting

Meeting of company officers. Frans Hals.

Three Greatest Dutch Masters figurative painting, Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer of Delft, followed each other with an interval of almost a whole generation. Hals was born in Antwerp and worked in Haarlem mainly as a portrait painter. For many, he became the personification of the open, cheerful and spontaneous virtuoso painter, while the art of Rembrandt, a thinker - as the cliché goes - reveals the origins of human destiny. This is both fair and wrong. What immediately catches your eye when looking at a portrait or group portrait by Hals is the ability to convey a person who is overwhelmed with emotion in movement. To depict a fleeting moment, Hals uses open, noticeably irregular strokes, intersecting in zigzags or cross-hatching. This creates the effect of a constantly shimmering surface, like a sketch, which merges into a single image only when viewed from a certain distance. After the return of Rothschild's "gifts", an expressive portrait of a man in black was acquired for the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein and thus returned to Vienna. The Kunsthistorisches Museum owns only one painting by Franz Hals, a portrait young man, which already appeared in the collection of Charles VI as one of the few examples of “Protestant” art in Holland. Portraits painted in the late period of Hals's work are closer to Rembrandt's works in terms of psychological penetration and lack of posing.

Thanks to subtle transitions of shades and areas of chiaroscuro, Rembrandt's chiaroscuro seems to envelop the figures in a resonant space in which mood, atmosphere, something intangible and even invisible reside. Rembrandt's work in the Vienna Picture Gallery is represented only by portraits, although "The Artist's Mother" and "The Artist's Son" can also be considered single-figures historical paintings. In the so-called “Large Self-Portrait” of 1652, the artist appears before us in a brown blouse, with his face turned in three quarters. His gaze is self-confident and even defiant.

Vermeer

Vermeer's undramatic art, focused entirely on contemplation, was considered a reflection of the Dutch middle class, now independent and content with what it had. However, the simplicity of Vermeer's artistic concepts is deceptive. Their clarity and calm are the result of precise analysis, including the use of the latest technical inventions such as the camera obscura. "Allegory of Painting", created around 1665-1666, Vermeer's pinnacle work in terms of work with color, can be called his most ambitious painting. The process initiated by Jan van Eyck, a native of the northern Netherlands, passive, detached contemplation of the motionless world, has always remained main theme Dutch painting and in the works of Vermeer reached an allegorical and at the same time real apotheosis.

Dutch painting