Baroque
In this 1647 self-portrait by Rembrandt’s student Gerrit Dou, the first thing you might notice is that he’s doing everything *but* paint. Aside from expressing a general interest in the life of the mind popular to the art of its day, his cluttered workspace, with dramatic elements like a sculpture of wrestlers and sheet music left in disarray (note the still life or vanitas influence: these objects are in a transient state) suggests severe “artist’s block.” Surely we’ve all had times when we're stuck on a hobby and would rather, say, experiment with every musical instrument ever made.
Notice that behind the artist there’s a blank, washed out, fairly unrealistic background, a facet of Baroque art, which represents less reality and more the painter’s mental state. Also take note of the strong diagonals and how the most vivid parts of the painting seem to pull away from the artist, leaving only the void behind. Finally, see the broken classical statue - he must feel as if he isn’t living up to past masters. Poor guy!
“Web Gallery of Art, Searchable Fine Arts Image Database.” Www.wga.hu, www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/dou/1/painstud.html.
“Gerrit Dou Biography.” The Leiden Collection, www.theleidencollection.com/artists/gerrit-dou/.
I was reviewing the class blog posts and noticed that you had posted your Baroque blog. I applaud you in getting it done early. It’s always a good feeling. I thought your analysis of the painting was very thorough. Your observation that the artist appears to have “artist’s block” was spot on. I would have missed that. However, I also noticed that you were missing some of the key requirements outlined in the checklist. In my art elements blog, I did not include several of the requirements. I was disappointed in my grade, but it made me reflect on how I need to prepare future posts. I work best with printed instructions that I can refer to and check off the requirements as I incorporate them. I hope sharing this with you will help you with future posts.
ReplyDeleteMoran,
ReplyDeleteThe details of the components of the art that brought your attention to this painting are interesting and intriguing. I really like how you paid attention to the small details of this piece of art. However, I think there could have been more details regarding the connection between the art and the baroque art style as well as the connection with the relationship to the theme. For example, notice how this painting showcases the very dramatic use of light and shadow which is something that was used during this period. I did some further research and also found that Gerritt Dou was actually sought out by royalty. This makes me think a little deeper about the painting, I think Dou is trying to invite the viewers to see the place where artists stand in society and how much work they put into making those paintings for royalty.