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Painting in the Dutch Golden Age
This book introduces teachers of middle school students and up to seventeenth-century Dutch culture and its early influence in North America. Three introductory chapters, “Profile of the Dutch Republic,” “A Golden Age for the Arts,” and “Life in the City and Countryside,” provide an overview. Next
are five sections on the types of painting strongly associated with Dutch art of the Golden Age: “Landscape Painting,” “Genre Painting,” “Still-Life Painting,”
“Portraiture,” and “History Painting.” Dutch paintings of the time presumably offer snapshots of what Dutch life was like, but in fact they contained
an equal measure of reality and artifice. Dutch artists broke with conventions and took liberties to create images that reflected their republic’s socially conservative, yet worldly, aspirations. The result was a vast body of work enormously original in approach and varied in subject matter.
Dutch artists also continued efforts, begun during the Renaissance, to elevate the status of art beyond its associations with lesser trades and to restructure the guild system. Patrons and artists discussed the fine points of composition, technique, and ways in which art engaged the attentions of the viewer. This connoisseurship (addressed in the section “Talking about Pictures”) spurred the founding of specialized art academies and a new “business”
of art.
Within the chapters, “In Focus” sections look more deeply at individual works in the National Gallery of Art’s collection. These discussions crystallize
key chapter concepts. You will also find multipage special-topic features that address such subjects as “America’s Dutch Heritage” and “Flowers and
Flower Painting.” The book also includes a timeline, a listing of resources, both printed and online, and a glossary.
We hope you find this packet a useful resource for engaging students on such subjects as world history, the founding of the United States, visual and
cultural analysis, geography, world religion, and social studies. We welcome your comments and questions.
are five sections on the types of painting strongly associated with Dutch art of the Golden Age: “Landscape Painting,” “Genre Painting,” “Still-Life Painting,”
“Portraiture,” and “History Painting.” Dutch paintings of the time presumably offer snapshots of what Dutch life was like, but in fact they contained
an equal measure of reality and artifice. Dutch artists broke with conventions and took liberties to create images that reflected their republic’s socially conservative, yet worldly, aspirations. The result was a vast body of work enormously original in approach and varied in subject matter.
Dutch artists also continued efforts, begun during the Renaissance, to elevate the status of art beyond its associations with lesser trades and to restructure the guild system. Patrons and artists discussed the fine points of composition, technique, and ways in which art engaged the attentions of the viewer. This connoisseurship (addressed in the section “Talking about Pictures”) spurred the founding of specialized art academies and a new “business”
of art.
Within the chapters, “In Focus” sections look more deeply at individual works in the National Gallery of Art’s collection. These discussions crystallize
key chapter concepts. You will also find multipage special-topic features that address such subjects as “America’s Dutch Heritage” and “Flowers and
Flower Painting.” The book also includes a timeline, a listing of resources, both printed and online, and a glossary.
We hope you find this packet a useful resource for engaging students on such subjects as world history, the founding of the United States, visual and
cultural analysis, geography, world religion, and social studies. We welcome your comments and questions.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 18, 2025
This guide by Carla Breemer, Jennifer Riddell, and Barbara Moore is a well-structured, educator-friendly introduction to 17th-century Dutch painting. Its greatest strength lies in its stunning illustrations, which beautifully showcase the detail and symbolism of works by artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer.
It excels in connecting art to historical context—touching on trade, morality, and everyday life—making it a rich teaching tool. However, the tone can feel a bit textbook-like, and the design is slightly dated. Some lesser-known artists are underrepresented.
Still, it’s a visually compelling and informative resource—ideal for classrooms or anyone new to Dutch Golden Age art.
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5
It excels in connecting art to historical context—touching on trade, morality, and everyday life—making it a rich teaching tool. However, the tone can feel a bit textbook-like, and the design is slightly dated. Some lesser-known artists are underrepresented.
Still, it’s a visually compelling and informative resource—ideal for classrooms or anyone new to Dutch Golden Age art.
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5
October 4, 2024
The Painter.
What the eye sees is not yet the most essential. / Art shows us an illusion / what the
essence of its subject is / Like the great Painting / of the ENTIRE visible world / [having] received
its shape through [heavenly] wisdom, shows what its origin is.
What the eye sees is not yet the most essential. / Art shows us an illusion / what the
essence of its subject is / Like the great Painting / of the ENTIRE visible world / [having] received
its shape through [heavenly] wisdom, shows what its origin is.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews