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Masters of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting
Book by Peter C. Sutton
397 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1984
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February 23, 2022
Sumptuously illustrated with fantastic art
This is the catalogue to what looks like it must have been one of the best ever exhibitions of Dutch C17th art I've (n)ever seen, produced to accompany a major show that toured the US (Philadelphia), the UK (London), and Germany (Berlin) in 1984.
There are 127 colour plates, covering both most of the the major names and also many of the less well-known. Having not yet read the essays that begin the book I'm not sure why the term 'genre painting' doesn't cover such genres as still life or landscape, but this selection of artworks is notably focussed on people, either singly or, more frequently, in groups.
I first encountered this book thanks to my mother, who got it whilst taking a degree as a mature student. I ended up with it when I went to art school, and - to my shame and infamy - ended up flogging it when times got particularly tight. I sold a number of art books at that low-tide, and got a pittance. What an idiot!
Over the years I've tried to replace as many as I could, and I recently bought two copies of this, used, via Amazon. The first arrived about a week ago, and is a replacement copy for my mother. Perusing it I was reminded of how influential the contents had been on me, way back in my late teens and early twenties, and realised I had to have a copy myself. That one has yet to arrive!
Anyhoo, enough of my personal blatherings: the book is medium-large, format wise, and although only a paperback, it's still a chunky and luxurious item. The book is split roughly into three unequal portions: the first portion given over to two essays; then come the plates, making up just over a quarter of the books volume; lastly there's a detailed catalogue, where each work is reproduced agin, but in black and white, and often with other supporting and related images fleshing out various connections. Whilst I haven't read the foregoing essays, I have used the catalogue that constitutes the final half of the book to learn more about individual paintings, and found it well-written and informative.
As well as the familiar delights of the 'big guns', such as de Hooch and Vermeer, I have always been particularly enamoured of this books generous array of less familiar names. There are some real gems here, like Cornelius Bega's a 'Merry Company In A Tavern', and Dirck van Baburen's 'The Procuress', both being terrific exemplars of favourite themes of the era. Another Bega gem on another familiar theme is 'The Duet', in which, like several paintings by Gerard ter Borch, the rendering of fabrics is deliciously and sumptuously virtuoso.
There is so much to enjoy on so many levels here, just from sitting perusing these gems, from the way they document the lifestyles and appearances of the times, to the allegorical and aesthetic aspects. Because of the people based focus and the wide array of artists this doesn't fall into the trap of being either too general or too ordinary, and nicely complements books that focus on Dutch landscape or still life painting. What an era the 'Golden Age' of Holland was!
This treasure trove of fabulous art comes highly recommended from me. If times times get tight, flog something else!
This is the catalogue to what looks like it must have been one of the best ever exhibitions of Dutch C17th art I've (n)ever seen, produced to accompany a major show that toured the US (Philadelphia), the UK (London), and Germany (Berlin) in 1984.
There are 127 colour plates, covering both most of the the major names and also many of the less well-known. Having not yet read the essays that begin the book I'm not sure why the term 'genre painting' doesn't cover such genres as still life or landscape, but this selection of artworks is notably focussed on people, either singly or, more frequently, in groups.
I first encountered this book thanks to my mother, who got it whilst taking a degree as a mature student. I ended up with it when I went to art school, and - to my shame and infamy - ended up flogging it when times got particularly tight. I sold a number of art books at that low-tide, and got a pittance. What an idiot!
Over the years I've tried to replace as many as I could, and I recently bought two copies of this, used, via Amazon. The first arrived about a week ago, and is a replacement copy for my mother. Perusing it I was reminded of how influential the contents had been on me, way back in my late teens and early twenties, and realised I had to have a copy myself. That one has yet to arrive!
Anyhoo, enough of my personal blatherings: the book is medium-large, format wise, and although only a paperback, it's still a chunky and luxurious item. The book is split roughly into three unequal portions: the first portion given over to two essays; then come the plates, making up just over a quarter of the books volume; lastly there's a detailed catalogue, where each work is reproduced agin, but in black and white, and often with other supporting and related images fleshing out various connections. Whilst I haven't read the foregoing essays, I have used the catalogue that constitutes the final half of the book to learn more about individual paintings, and found it well-written and informative.
As well as the familiar delights of the 'big guns', such as de Hooch and Vermeer, I have always been particularly enamoured of this books generous array of less familiar names. There are some real gems here, like Cornelius Bega's a 'Merry Company In A Tavern', and Dirck van Baburen's 'The Procuress', both being terrific exemplars of favourite themes of the era. Another Bega gem on another familiar theme is 'The Duet', in which, like several paintings by Gerard ter Borch, the rendering of fabrics is deliciously and sumptuously virtuoso.
There is so much to enjoy on so many levels here, just from sitting perusing these gems, from the way they document the lifestyles and appearances of the times, to the allegorical and aesthetic aspects. Because of the people based focus and the wide array of artists this doesn't fall into the trap of being either too general or too ordinary, and nicely complements books that focus on Dutch landscape or still life painting. What an era the 'Golden Age' of Holland was!
This treasure trove of fabulous art comes highly recommended from me. If times times get tight, flog something else!
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