Going Dutch

The painting above (click to enlarge) is by an artist called Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp. It is called Peasants in the Tavern. This artist worked in the first half of the 17th century. I like very much his use of light. Rembrandt used similar techniques. But the thing I most like about this particular style of painting is the natural subject matter.

Like the Impressionists, who came much later, the Dutch painters brought painting away from the dictates of, and the dependence upon, patrons. They were not exclusively painting the rich and powerful, or restricted to scenes of mythology and religion. They went into the world around them and captured for all time life as it was.

Everyday scenes and people populate these paintings, which is why I love them. I can quite easily see myself amongst these people in the tavern. People have changed very little over the years. Technology has expanded the parameters and quality of life as we know it, but our human nature, and the human experience of life, is little altered. The simple pleasures are still dear to us. Food, drink, laughter, gossip, friendship, community, love, and family have not lost their places in our everyday lives.

These are "Humanitarian" paintings. They capture the essence of human life in this world. Time, space, and humanity coincide within the boundries of the canvas, and offer us a portrait of ouselves, not as we were but as we are.

I will occassionly include some of my favorite works of art in this blog. I am certainly no expert and make no pretense that I am. But I did spend a great deal of time in art galleries. Working split-shifts in Soho gave me every afternoon with nothing to do for three hours. With very little money to indulge myself, I settled for the "freebies" that London had to offer. It was then that I discovered art. The more I saw, the more I read. The more I became able to identify exactly what it was about a particular work of art, or school of art, that set it apart from everything else. And I learned to know what I like and why I like it.

That's about it for today. More political rants to come soon. In the meantime...perhaps I'll see you down the pub!