Baroque:
Jan Steen 1626-1679

Self portrait of Jan Steen (1670)

There are many captivating painters of this time, visually stemming out to newer ideas and styles of painting. One of which was Jan Steen, a famous Dutch painter, born in 1626 Leiden, Netherlands. Steen was very well known to capture forms of daily life in his paintings. He learnt his painting techniques from German painter, Nicolaes Knupfer (1603-1660) who was known to paint scenic paintings during the Baroque movement, as well as in the Dutch Golden age. Knupfer was the teacher to many great artists such as Gabriel Metsu, Ary de Vois, and Pieter Crijnse Volmarijn.

The Dancing Couple, 1663

The Merry Family, 1668

The main themes of Steen’s work vary from comedic scenes of dissolute households, quack doctors tending lovesick women, boisterous holiday gatherings, and rowdy tavern scenes.(H. Perry Chapman, Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, 1). His work also reflects old Dutch Proverbs and literature. What had drawn me into learning more about Jan Steen was the mass of figures painted with such detail and emotion. “He was well known for the mastery of light and attention to small details” (Wikipedia, Jan Steen: Works) The attention to detail and light really bring to life a sense of movement each time I glance at his paintings. His nature of storytelling has this delightful rhythm that gives me a chance to bounce around different subjects and details in his paintings. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy Steen’s lighthearted and comical paintings.

The Drawing Lesson, 1665

Rhetoricians at a Window

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jan-Havickszoon-Steen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Steenhttps://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/explore/the-collection/steen/

https://www.nga.gov/research/publications/pdf-library/jan-steen-painter-and-storyteller.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaus_Kn%C3%BCpfer