What is meant by the history of Dutch art?

Dutch art history is often confused with Flemish one, since, before the 16th century, that is, the indipedence, and thus the birth of the Dutch Republic, the Netherlands was united with the southern Netherlands, which, known as Flanders, can be located in the territory of present-day Belgium. These two countries, even when they were both under Spanish rule, differed markedly in the type of artistic production, in that the Catholic Flemings, represented by such masters as Rubens and Antoon van Dyck, produced works that were predominantly luxurious courtly and often religious, while the Dutch masters, such as Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt, for example, guided by the ideology of Protestantism, tended more to celebrate the real world, which, at the time, was dominated by the science and commerce of their fruitful nation. In summary, Flemish painting, graphics and sculpture were produced in an area similar in size to modern Belgium, although the aforementioned adjective is used to describe work done within a historical region that was actually much larger, encompassing neighboring Brabant, Hainaut, Picardy and Artois. The aforementioned artistic production assumed a decisive role in European figurative history especially between the 15th and 17th centuries, while, with regard to the Holland, it is impossible not to mention the Golden Age of the arts, which extended roughly throughout the 17th century.

Taco Eisma, The room, 2022. Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm.

Van Lanigh, The harvest, 2022. Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 cm.

The Golden Age of Dutch Art

The appellation Golden Age denotes that particular period of Dutch history, which, located between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, i.e., subsequent to the achievement of political autonomy, was marked by a formidable development of science and commerce, to say the least. In this context, the figurative arts, which must necessarily have been affected by, and consequently reflected, this flourishing climate, flourished in an extraordinary way, becoming a model for the entire tradition of European art. In particular, with regard to the painting of the Golden Age, it can be placed in a time span from about 1620 to 1672, a period during which sacred depictions and biblical subjects were strongly neglected, in order to favor genre scenes, still lifes, "little trifles", landscapes, tronie and realistic portraits, aimed at satisfying the demands of a secular and mercantile clientele, rather than institutional, ecclesiastical and aristocratic ones. It is precisely this type of figurative production, along with maps and prints, that spread with wide success within the homes of the Dutch, so much so that, oftentimes, it has been captured in paintings of the period, where it is possible to discern extremely commercial small-format works. Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting how there was no shortage of large-format paintings, which was certainly increased by the gradual increase in the country's prosperity. Speaking of the style of the paintings of the time, the realism of the latter was often accompanied by the accuracy with which both light and brightness were rendered, often juxtaposed with an impressive care and attention to detail, surely inherited from the nearby Flemish tradition. In conclusion, it is good to emphasize how such Dutch stylistic features acted as door-openers to an innovative type of depiction of society, which was captured through single figures, peasant families, tavern scenes, feast scenes, women at work, village or town scenes, scenes with animals, and many others. Finally, it is impossible not to mention the most iconic masters of the Golden Age, such as, for example, Rembrandt, Veermeer, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Rachel Ruysch, and Judith Leyster.

Roco.Studio, Pink portrait, 2020. Acrylic on canvas, 115 x 95 cm.

Karin Sommen, Onderbovenwater, 2019. Acrylic on canvas, 140 x 100 cm.

The contemporary "Golden Age"

Just as between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a period of significance for the Dutch figurative arts, the contemporary world continues to be influenced by the creative point of view of the Netherlands, which continues to be distinguished by extremely innovative techniques, styles, and subjects of investigation brought about by the work of some popular emerging artists, such as, for example, Wouter le Duc, Wouter Venema, Koen Taselaar, and Jonathan van Doornum. In addition, the Netherlands now represents one of the largest contemporary art markets in developing Europe, where the rich offer is often enhanced and highlighted, through the organization of multiple events, such as the well-known Rotterdam Art Week. Finally, in this thriving context, it is impossible not to consider the unprecedented and varied figurative investigation of Dutch artists of Artmajeur, well represented by the works of Bart Stillekens, N.C.J. Stam and René Rikkelman.

Bart Stillekens, Ibex skull, 2022. Sculpture, metals / resin, 40 x 40 x 40 / 1.00 kg.

Bart Stillekens: Ibex skull

Bart Stillekens, also known by the diminutive name B-art, is an eclectic Dutch contemporary painter and sculptor born in 1993, whose artistic investigation is carried out through the use of multiple materials and techniques, which are expressed within an ongoing experimentation. An undisputed part of his production are the minimal vanity sculptures in resin and metal, which, reduced to mere gold animal skulls, are well exemplified by the 2022 work Ibex skull, aimed at reproducing the skull of ibex. The latter, probably made with the intention of crossing the viewer's gaze, as one in a kind of visual memento mori, also invites one to enjoy the pleasures of life, suggested by the color gold, which has always symbolized the sun, warmth, strength, power and wealth, but also incorruptibility and divine immortality. Speaking of art history, it is worth considering how precisely the genre of vanity had its greatest development in seventeenth-century Holland, where it became synonymous with the precariousness, which swept the European continent following the Thirty Years' War and the spread of epidemics.

N.C.J. Stam, The burden of corona, 2021. Bronze sculpture / collage, 20 x 10 x 8 / 3.00 kg.

N.C.J. Stam: The burden of corona

N.C.J. Stam, also known as Co Stam, is a contemporary Dutch sculptor born in 1942, who expresses himself mainly by modeling bronze, a material through which he mostly investigates the human figure and, secondarily, also the animal figure. The technique used to create the Artmajeur artist's works is that of "lost wax," a process widespread as early as the third millennium B.C., according to which a wax model is made, which is covered with clay, creating a mold. Then, through holes in the clay, wax is forced out of the mold by heating it, after which, molten bronze is poured into it. At the end of the operation, posterior to removing the mold, a bronze sculpture identical to the starting wax model is obtained. This technique of "lost wax", which goes by the name of the direct method, is well distinguished from the indirect method, according to which the wax model is built on top of a clay one, allowing hollow forms to be created within them. It was precisely through the use of the historical process that the irreverent sculpture The burden of corona was created, aimed at depicting the titan of Greek mythology Atlas, who, instead of being condemned to carry the universe on his shoulders, must undergo the weight of the currently unresolved tragedies of Covid-19.

René Rikkelman, Sensual lips gold, 2020. Sculpture, resin on wood, 40 x 60 x 20 cm / 3.00 kg.

René Rikkelman: Sensual lips gold

René Rikkelman, a contemporary Dutch sculptor born in 1959, prefers the creation of stylized works, which, created at first in wax or clay, are later cast in bronze, a metal aimed at expressing a figurative language in constant search of line or sensual form. Precisely the latter aspiration was largely realized in the work Sensual lips gold, aimed at immortalizing a soft, sinuous, erotic and refined close-up of a fleshy woman's mouth gently ajar. Pursuing the same intent, the lip-shaped sofa, designed by Gufram in 1970 and exhibited in the world's most important museums, including the Louvre (Paris), the Museum of Applied Art and Science (Sydney) and the Design Museum (Munich), sought to make iconic one of the quintessential symbols of female beauty. However, the origins of this now legendary design object can be found in art history, as this sofa was undoubtedly inspired by the face of Mae West, immortalized in Salvador Dali's 1935 painting.