DUTCH STILL LIFES AND GENRE PAINTINGS

17th century Dutch genre paintings show individuals in scenes of everyday life such as letter writing, eating, drinking, or making music.

Pieter de Hooch, the most highly regarded genre painter of all, excelled in the depiction of people going about their daily lives, be it inside their houses or in urban courtyards. His use of light and color in interior scenes has been compared to the work of Johannes Vermeer, his Delft colleague.

The National Gallery of Art has two of his paintings:

A Dutch Courtyard (1660) by Pieter de Hooch

The Bedroom (1660) by Pieter de Hooch

During the nine years he spent in Haarlem, Jan Steen created many of his greatest paintings, including a number of large, complex scenes of families and merrymakers that contained lessons in morality.

 The Dancing Couple (1663) by Jan Steen

Despite the ongoing merriment in the painting above, Steen used subtle references such as cut flowers and broken eggshells to warn the viewer about the transience of sensual pleasures.

The Prayer Before the Meal (1660) by Jan Steen

 

































The Jan Steen painting above is actually privately owned. In 2012, this painting was sold for over $9,000,000 as part of the Old Master paintings sale from the private collection at England's Sudeley Castle. At the time it was considered one of the finest paintings from the Dutch Golden Age remaining in private hands. Thank you to the buyer who lent it to the National Gallery for the public to see.

Banquet Piece with Mince Pie (1635) by Willem Claesz Heda

When the National Gallery purchased this still life painting at auction in 1991, the curators thought the painting may have been cut because of the close proximity of the oyster to the left edge of the painting. After receiving the painting the curator decided to take the painting out of the frame to check to see if the painting had been cut and surprisingly discovered not only had the painting not been cut, but it had also never been relined. This is a rarity in a painting this old.

Three other Dutch still lifes:

Still Life with Fruit (1675) by Jacob van Walscapelle

Although there is little known about his career, Jacob van Walscapelle was an accomplished still life painter. This painting measures just 16 inches by 14 inches, but it shows an elaborate composition that is usually found in larger still life paintings.

Van Walscapelle’s abundant still lifes reflect the influence of Jan Davidsz de Heem, who is considered one of the greatest Dutch still life painters. De Heem’s compositions were even more complex with large compositions of bouquets and garlands of flowers, baskets of fruit, and various motifs such as glasses, insects, and drapery.
 
The painting below is another privately-owned painting on loan to the gallery. Thank you to all private collectors for allowing the public to see the beautiful paintings you own when you lend them to public museums.

Still Life with Fruit,Oysters and Wine (1655) by Jan Davidsz de Heem

Little is known about Adriaen Coorte except that he created about one hundred paintings between 1683 and 1707. In contrast to De Heem’s elaborate compositions, Coorte's paintings were small and simply composed.

Still Life with Aspargus and Red Currants (1696) by Adriaen Coorte

I have one more blog post with a few remaining paintings from the Dutch collection.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

VERMEER AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Of course, visiting the National Gallery of Art was at the top of my wishlist when we planned our visit to Washington D.C. The National Gallery of Art was opened in 1941, thanks to the incredible generosity of Pittsburgh financier Andrew Mellon. Andrew Mellon donated his private collection of paintings and sculpture to start the museum, the funds in order to construct the building and a sizable endowment to maintain the museum. He purposely did not name the museum after himself because he wanted other major collectors, such as P. A. B. Widener, Samuel Kress and Chester Dale, to donate their art collections to create the gift to the nation that has became one of the premier art museums in the world. And the best part is admission is FREE to everyone everyday.

The highlight of the visit was seeing the four Vermeers. Considering there are only 37 known works by Vermeer in the world, to see 4 of them on one wall was unbelievable:

Woman Holding a Balance (1664). Part of P. A. B. Widener's gift to the museum.

Girl Holding a Flute (1665/1670). Part of P. A. B. Widener's gift to the museum.

A Lady Writing (1665). A gift from the Havemeyer Family.

The Girl with a Red Hat (1665). Part of Andrew Mellon's founding gift to the museum.

These four paintings are part of the vast Dutch painting collection at the National Gallery of Art. From Rembrandt to Frans Hals to Jan Lievens to Jan Steen, the Dutch collection is one of the finest in the world. I will continue my tour of the museum in my next blog post.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.
 

THEY'RE JUST TWO HOUSES FULL OF MASTERPIECES...

Galleria Borghese.

Mauritshuis.                 

One is in Rome. The other is in The Hague.

Both were homes to wealthy men of completely different professions who were connoisseurs of fine art.

Who were these men? One was Cardinal Scipione Borghese and the other was Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen.

Scipione Borghese was a cardinal and nephew of Pope Paul V. Johan Maurits was a military hero and great nephew of William I, Prince of Orange.

Cardinal Borghese, although supposedly a man of God, was not against using foul means to acquire a piece of art that he coveted. Johan Maurits was scorned for perhaps profiting too much off of the slave labor in the sugar fields of the newly-conquered (over Portugal) Dutch colony of Brazil where he had been elected governor-general.

Cardinal Borghese, born into the wealthy Italian Borghese nobility family, was simply given the title of Cardinal by his uncle, Pope Paul V. Johan Maurits, from a successful military family, was related to Dutch royalty.

Cardinal Borghese built a splendid summer home outside of center of Rome. Johan Maurits built a home in The Hague that is considered one of the finest and most perfect examples of Dutch classicist architecture.

Cardinal Borghese spared no expense in building his home to showcase his collection of art, and the opulent decor of his home rivals the collection. However, Johan Mauritis was not attached to his collection and was known to have given away hundreds of prints and sketches, many to the then Kings of Denmark and France.

Now, both homes are world-class art museums.

Galleria Borghese has what most critics describe as the finest collection of Baroque sculpture anywhere. Mauritshuis' collection totals nearly 800 paintings, the oldest part of which are paintings owned in the 18th century by the stadholder, Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau.

Galleria Borghese has three stunning Bernini sculptures including:

Apollo and Daphne       Photo: Web Gallery of Art                                      The Rape of Prosperina    Photo: Web Gallery of Art

Mauritshuis has three stunning Vermeer masterpieces including:

    Girl With A Pearl Earring                                                                                                       Photo: Web Gallery of Art

Galleria Borghese owns several paintings by Caravaggio such as:

David With the Head of Goliath                                                             Self-Portrait as the Sick Baccus
Photo: Web Gallery of Art                                                                     Photo: Web Gallery of Art


Mauritshuis owns several paintings by Rembrandt such as:

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp                                                          Self-Portrait (his last)  
Photo: Web Gallery of Art                                             Photo: Web Gallery of Art

NOTE: Neither one of these museums allows you to take photos; thus, I had to "borrow" the pictures of the artworks from the Web Gallery of Art.

TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS:

Only 360 persons are allowed in the Galleria Borghese every 2 hours, so reservations are mandatory. Go to the website http://www.ticketeria.it/ticketeria/borghese-eng.asp and follow the prompts to pre-purchase and print out your reservation confirmation. If you are already in Rome, you can call 0039 06 32810. You may be able to make a reservation on the actual day you want to visit. Tickets are €11.50 plus a €1.00 reservation fee.

TIP:

Absolutely purchase the audioguide for €5.00! It will make the visit that much more rewarding.

ROMA PASS:

Galleria Borghese does accept the Roma Pass. The Roma Pass costs €25 and gives you:

• Free entry to the first 2 visited museums and/or archaeological sites of your choice;
• Reduced ticket prices to all other museums and/or archaeological sites thereafter; and
• Free use of the city's public transport network.

Galleria Borghese is located in the middle of the Villa Borghese gardens, but public transportation options to Galleria Borghese are limited. You can catch Bus 910 from the Termini train station (get off at the PINCIANA/MUSEO BORGHESE stop) or Bus 116 from the Piazza Navona area (get off at the last stop--PORTA PINCIANA). If you are close to missing your reservation time, this might be one time to just take a taxi. The fare should be no more than €10-15 from anywhere in Rome.

AMSTERDAM'S MUSEUM PASS:

If you have purchased the MuseumPass, you can use the pass to enter the Mauritshuis. You only have to pay an extra €1.50.

TAKE THE TRAM TO MAURITSHUIS FROM DEN HAAG TRAIN STATION

Once you arrive at the Den Haag train station, walk out to the street to the Tram platform. Take Tram #16 (Destination: Wateringen) to the Buitenhof Stop (the second stop). Remember to use the terrific Netherlands travel planning website http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/ or the other website I have just discovered:

http://www.htm.net/Pages/DEF/245.html which gives you an interactive map of all the tram lines in Den Haag.

You can use your strippenkaart strips for the tram ride.

NOTE: I went to the Netherlands in May and used strippenkaarts for public transportation. I have just read on the http://www.denhaag.nl/ website that the strippenkaarts are being discontinued at the end of 2009. Obviously they have extended the use of strippenkaarts into 2010, so strippenkaarts are my suggested method of transportation expense in the Netherlands--so easy to purchase and use).

Exiting the tram, you will have to walk back down the street (Lange Vijverberg) in the direction you came from until you reach the opposite end of the Hofvijver, the rectangular pond located in front of the government buildings. At the end of the Hofvijver, turn right down Korte Vijverberg which will lead you to the Mauritshuis.



The government buildings facing the Hofvijver.  Down the street to the left of this photo is Mauritshuis.

 

TIP:

I have put a link to the Mauritshuis in my sidebar. However, the Galleria Borghese's website has been redflagged as a possible harmful site, so at this time you cannot access the site except at your own risk.