How the first cloudscapes were painted of the flat lands of the Dutch Republic, and their supports were turned to devote even more space for the sky.
Golden Age
A woman spinning in front of her bed, a view of a street, a waterfront, marketplace, boats on the river, canals, windmills, a sandy beach, clouds, and frozen rivers – everyday life in the Golden Age.
Expressing a weariness with this life and yearning for the next, they originated in Flanders, but soon became popular in the Dutch Republic in its Golden Age.
Early explorations in the landscapes of Aelbert Cuyp, tortoises from Brazil, the first dedicated animal painter in Paulus Potter, and a concert of birds by Melchior d’Hondecoeter.
Although not entirely new, from 1620 still life paintings were highly popular, thanks to skilled painters migrating from Flanders and Brabant to escape religious oppression.
Saskia died in 1642, so he hired a widow to look after his young son. They became lovers, broke up, and he lived with his former maid. In 1656 he was made insolvent, and spent the rest of his life in poverty, painting even more wonderfully.
A master at the age of only 19, he was discovered 4 years later, then moved to Amsterdam where he shot to fame and success. He married Saskia in 1634, and they moved into their own house in a fashionable quarter in 1639.
The Renaissance provided the tools of realist painting, but remained largely bound to religious and mythical motifs. Seventy years later, many new genres had appeared.
In 1579, 7 of the more northerly provinces in the Low Countries formed the Dutch Republic. That soon prospered from its international trade, and saw the creation of millions of paintings that changed European art.
Dramatic paintings of towns and cities on fire, usually at night, were popular during the Dutch Golden Age, and known as brandjes. Examples to well into the 19th century.
The Eclectic Light Company 