#The Netherlands

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Two African Men by Rembrandt van Rijn

In the discourse on the Black presence in Western history, it is taken for granted that Africans in art represented solely enslaved people, and their...

Nicole Ganbold 3 November 2024

Baroque

Frans Hals in 10 Paintings

Frans Hals, the prominent Dutch Golden Age painter, left an enduring legacy through his exceptional mastery of portraiture. The way he captured the...

Nicole Ganbold 17 October 2024

Dine & Wine

This Article Is Only About Cheese in Painting

This article is best enjoyed with blue cheese fondue, a cheesecake, toast with butter and cheese, some nice onion soup with cheddar, a cheese muffin,...

Magda Michalska 16 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms by Pieter Aertsen

Pieter Aertsen’s Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms is an interesting painting as it provides a wonderful glimpse into the varied...

James W Singer 16 October 2024

Medieval Art

The Unicorn Tapestries – Allegory of Christ, or a Happy Husband?

The Unicorn Tapestries are a set of medieval tapestries depicting a hunt for a unicorn, a popular motif at the time. They’re probably the most...

Alexandra Kiely 4 October 2024

Animals

The Goldfinch: Singing Across Time

See the lonely little bird, trapped in a situation over which it has no control. Chained, isolated. Sounds familiar? In these strange times we need...

Candy Bedworth 4 October 2024

History

How Did the Dutch Become Dutch: Propaganda Prints in the Dutch Golden Age

The Golden Age of the Dutch Republic was a flourishing period for culture and economy, yet it wasn’t characterized by peace. The Dutch Republic...

Andreea Iancu 9 September 2024

Haarlem in the Dutch Golden Age: Frans Hals, Banquet of the Officers of the St Adrian Civic Guard (the Calivermen), 1627, Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, Netherlands. Baroque

4 Surprising Facts About Haarlem in the Dutch Golden Age

The city of Haarlem in the Netherlands was one of the flourishing art centers in the 16th and 17th century. Today, you can walk the streets of the...

Rachel Witte 9 September 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Old Woman Dozing by Nicolaes Maes

Despite its lack of vitality and vibrancy, Old Woman Dozing by Nicolaes Maes is an interesting painting. What it may lack in sparkle it gains in...

James W Singer 8 September 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Malle Babbe by Frans Hals

Although Frans Hals’ Malle Babbe was always considered a tronie or a fictional character study, the portrait is based on a woman whom the Dutch...

Nicole Ganbold 8 September 2024

WTF Art History

Listen to the Butt Music on Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is a three-part altarpiece showing the Garden of Eden on the left and a vision of hell on the right.

Zuzanna Stańska 27 August 2024

Masterpiece Stories

The Story of Vincent van Gogh’s First Self-Portrait

Vincent van Gogh’s career lasted only about 10 years. Yet, during that time, he painted some 36 self-portraits. Only Rembrandt painted more, with...

Ledys Chemin 5 August 2024