Many art lovers have probably heard of the Little Dutchmen, who fundamentally changed the idea of art and the role of painting in it. But why were they called little, and art historians believe that they made a real revolution in painting, we will talk about in this article.
Jan Vermeer, Woman Holding Scales
In addition to the titans of painting, such as Rembrandt or Frans Hals, many other artists painted in the Netherlands - about 2 thousand, more than in any other country. They are called the Little Dutchmen. Many of them are not connected with each other and were not part of any artistic association, but their work had something in common, a special set of differences that are characteristic only of them and are not found anywhere else in the world.
Jan Steen. Self-portrait with a Lute
It all began with the formation of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands in 1581 and its independence from Spain. Having escaped the oppression of the Catholic Church, trade and crafts were rapidly developing there, and the most businesslike and active people flocked there. The Inquisition was no longer raging in the Netherlands, there was a lot of religious freedom, artists, poets and writers poured in, and the locals were only too happy to see them. The inhabitants of the Netherlands were sincerely proud of their country, so the genre of the group ceremonial portrait was especially honored. Well, even if everything there was overly pompous, it was patriotic, and the Dutch themselves, especially those who fought against the dominance of the Spaniards, perceived such works with a bang.
Frans Hals. Meeting of the Officers of the Company of St. Adrian in Haarlem
But the main thing is that due to the decline in the influence of the church, artists began to receive fewer orders for pompous religious scenes, in which Peter Paul Rubens was a great master. He still got some orders, but not all artists could count on the favor of the churchmen.
But many merchants and wealthy residents appeared who were not averse to decorating their homes with some kind of painting. Painting became so fashionable and accessible that even wealthy peasants could afford a small painting, which was previously unimaginable.
Adriaan van Ostade. Peasants drinking.
The subjects of the paintings also changed: new buyers wanted to have landscapes, simple everyday scenes, still lifes at home, and not a huge and grandiose interweaving of naked bodies, united by a plot that was incomprehensible to them, as, for example, in Rubens’ painting “The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus.”
Peter Paul Rubens, The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus.
One of the most popular genres was vanitas, that is, a moralizing picture about the inevitability of death and the futility of chasing worldly pleasures. Oddly enough, such vanitases were considered life-affirming and optimistic: we will all be there and there is no need to regret any missed opportunities.
Jacob de Geyn. Vanitas
But more often artists paint ordinary still lifes, but they put a hidden meaning in them, a message for the initiated. Many small Dutchmen began to paint pictures, and only then thought about how to sell them, fortunately there was no shortage of buyers and there was no need to fear that many years of work on some solid painting for the church would be wasted if the priests suddenly did not like it.
Pieter van Laar. Self-portrait
All artists united in guilds, which testified to their skill, since not just anyone was accepted: it was necessary to prove your skills or have a letter of recommendation from a guild member, and at the same time work in his workshop for several years, since otherwise no one would give you up.
Jan Vermeer, The Milkmaid
Due to fierce competition, many Dutch artists acquired a very narrow specialization: some masterfully depicted birds, others flowers, etc.
Researcher David Hockney gave an interesting theory about the suddenly increased skill of almost all Dutch artists: it is due to the invention of the camera obscura and its use in creating paintings. Hence the left-handedness of people in paintings and the very masterfully painted all sorts of highlights on metal, silver or copper utensils.
Willem Heda. Still Life with Ham
The Little Dutchmen did not consider it shameful to copy the subjects of other artists or the paintings themselves: after all, the peculiarities of mass production made themselves felt. Sometimes several artists and their apprentices worked on one painting: the master painted faces and outlined the general contour, and the apprentices did simpler work, such as drawing the background or clothing.
Pieter de Hooch, Woman with Child at a Storeroom
It is clear that because of this many paintings lost quality, seemed uniform and lacked individuality. But this is noticeable only when comparing them somewhere in a museum or in a painting catalog, and the Dutch themselves perceived such works as unique creations of the master and bought them with great pleasure.
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