Rivaled Poussin in fame His ﬁgures tell no drama9c story, point out no moral, praise no hero, celebrate no saint His ﬁgure merely provide an excuse

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Rivaled Poussin in fame His ﬁgures tell no drama9c story, point out no moral, praise no hero, celebrate no saint His ﬁgure merely provide an excuse to paint the radiant landscape For French landscape

5 Rivaled Poussin in fame His ﬁgures tell no drama9c story, point out no moral, praise no hero, celebrate no saint His ﬁgure merely provide an excuse to paint the radiant landscape For French landscape ar9sts pain9ng involved one theme the beauty of a broad sky with golden light, sunrise or sunset glowing through a hazy atmosphere and reﬂec9ng on the water It s subtle quali9es show restrained drama and romance, they let our fantasies wander and relax our anxious spirit Analysis The ﬁgures in the right foreground chat in an animated fashion In the lek the calle relax In the middle calle slowly walk away The picture is serene orderliness un.l all form dissolves into the mist Atmosphere and perspec.ve = an ideal classical world bathed in sunlight He oken balances trees with architectural masses alluding to a world gone but s9ll present 5

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7 Most Dutch families owned and worked their land or ships. Owning farms, and ships, they cul.vated a close rela.onship with both land a sea. As a result landscape and seascapes abound Analysis Large, expansive skies indicate a Dutch landscape Hos works are the product of careful observa9on and respect for topography Not an idealized landscape this landscape is par9cularized The church in the background is a faithful representa9on The dairy cows, shepherds and milkmaid are the cornerstones of the agricultural system that served the growing middle class 7

A depic9on of the landscape with precision and sensi9vity An overarching view of the major city, with Saint Bavo Church in the background, Windmills refer to land reclama9on efforts aker Spanish rule

8 A depic9on of the landscape with precision and sensi9vity An overarching view of the major city, with Saint Bavo Church in the background, Windmills refer to land reclama9on efforts aker Spanish rule Also shows figure in foreground stretching linen to be bleached a major industry of Haarlem All of this reflects Dutch pride painters took in recording their homeland and the ac.vi.es of the people Yet the horizon line is so low that the hazy sky fills more than half the picture which imbuesthe picture with serenity that is almost spiritual Dutch are protestants and thus did not favor directly religious works of art, yet this speaks to the moral behaviors of Protestants This serene spiritual quality contrasts with the religious Italian baroque drama 8

Light fills the interior of the Church of Saint Bavo in Haarlem, one of the finest Gothic buildings s9ll in existence today. Although Pieter Jansz.

9 Light fills the interior of the Church of Saint Bavo in Haarlem, one of the finest Gothic buildings s9ll in existence today. Although Pieter Jansz. Saenredam based his work on careful on- the- spot studies, the pain9ng combines two dis9nct views, one looking straight ahead and the other toward the chancel on the lek. He even added an altarpiece and a stained glass window, which would probably already have been removed from the church by Saenredam's 9me. By the 1600s, Protestant churches in Holland had become rela9vely austere in response to the teachings of theologian John Calvin. The overall impression is one of strong ver9cality, soaring space, and penetra9ng light, a spiritual reference to the heavens above. The inclusion of small figures accentuate the viewer's experience of exalted interior space. Saenredam described architectural elements in great detail: vaulted ceilings, moldings, decora9ve capitals, clustered pillars, and clerestory windows. 9

The prosperous Dutch were proud of their accomplishments, and s9ll life pain9ngs of worldly goods were highly popular with the merchant class They are me9culously craked images that are scien9fic in

10 The prosperous Dutch were proud of their accomplishments, and s9ll life pain9ngs of worldly goods were highly popular with the merchant class They are me9culously craked images that are scien9fic in their op9cal accuracy and poe9c in their beauty and lyricism Yet a vanitas is not all vanity. The terms refers to a type of is a symbolic s.ll life that reflects the meaninglessness of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits Analysis The painter presents the material possessions of a wealth household strewn across a table Yet while we can appreciate the beauty of the objects, he also incorporates memento mori or references to death. Reminding the Protestant viewer of the transient world in which they reside and the more important life beyond skull,.mepiece,.pped glass, cracked walnut all suggest a passage of.me or something or someone that was here but is now gone The self portrait in the glass ball emphasizes the passing of 9me for human beings yet immortalizes the ar9st Such artworks served to keep the merchant class humble and focused of their morals and faith 10

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The Ar'st and Light Rembrandt did not specialize in one type of artwork but excelled in all subject ma<er He is most famous for bringing a new

1 2 3 The Ar'st and Light Rembrandt did not specialize in one type of artwork but excelled in all subject ma