Jan Steen (c.1626 –1679) was a Dutch painter who was known for his animated and lively paintings. He was born into a well-off family, his father being a brewer. He trained with artists Nicolaes Knupfer and Adriaen van Ostade. He moved several times, living in Leiden, The Hague, Harlem and Delft.
He painted over hundreds of paintings ranging from portraits to landscapes to tableaus. He could not survive on the money he was making from his paintings alone so he ran a tavern and a brewery. His popular paintings often depicted humorous family scenes that were chaotic or scenes from daily life that filled the viewer with warmth. He also painted other themes such as religion or ones based off of proverbs which served to remind those of important lessons.
–
Jan Steen often inserted himself into these tavern scenes.
–
Proverbial piece
–
Religious art
I really like the details Steen put into his paintings. It makes me look at his work for a long time to uncover the small things he adds to make it more interesting. I can feel his sense of humour in these works. What I find the most interesting is that none of the colours in his paintings are super saturated or pop out. I know that the colour of the composition affects the mood however he does not use bright colours and yet we still feel a sense of joy looking at his comical paintings.
Sources:
www.theleidencollection.com/artists/jan-steen/
www.holland.com/global/tourism/discover-holland/traditional/dutch-masters/jan-steen-12.htm
www.mauritshuis.nl/en/explore/the-collection/steen/
www.virtualuffizi.com/jan-steen.html
www.wikiart.org/en/jan-steen
Michelle,
Good work on keeping well ahead with your posts. I’ll comment on the first three Fouquet, Holbein, and Steen. Good research and interesting insights. A number of students have posted on Holbein but only a couple have thought to comment on his wonderfull wood block prints. They look so contemporary to my eye. Well Done.
Jeff