Jan Steen, Painter and Storyteller

by H. Perry Chapman, Wouter Kloek, Arthur K. Wheelock

Examining the full repertoire of the Dutch painter Jan Steen, including portraits and self-portraits, religious and mythological scenes, and witty narratives, this work reassesses Steen within the context of 17th-century Netherlandish artistic, literary and cultural movements. The book serves as the catalogue for an exhibition of the works of Jan Steen, opening at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA, on 28 April 1996, and travelling in September 1996 to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Cornelis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important motives that are not being viewed as relevant are:

- the drinking glass is in fact a glass that starts an abortion
- any musical instrument stands for a woman's body that is tortured
- red and black often stand for a child that is done away
- blue and yellow denote hatefulness
- a parrot is a woman, hopping from one man to the other
- a pipe signifies the joy of men that the children are gone
- the 'krakeling' was used in a game between a man and a woman
- the number of displayed fingers is ten, or there was an error 'in the making'...
- an open mouth is a sign of depravity
etc. etc. etc.

There are too many of these clues not being recognized.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great artist