Masterpieces of the Dutch and Flemish Baroque

Peter Paul Rubens and the Flemish Baroque

Descent from the Cross

3. Descent from the Cross is an oil on panel located in the Cathedral of Antwerp. Painted between 1608 and 1612, this work is composed in a manner similar to other works; it represents the opposite point: the uprising or erection of the cross.

The Garden of Love

The Garden of Love is an oil on canvas in the Museo del Prado, painted around 1630. It is one of his most interesting works, offering a first vision of the courtly world and a totally new mythology. This celebratory allegory symbolizes his new marriage. The turkey, the crown of angels, the yoke, the torch, the flowers, and the dove are matrimonial symbols. In the young box, the shot of Diana is represented as Cupid, the first goddess. It is the first Neoplatonic reflection on the three degrees of love: purity, matrimony, and the game of love.

Rembrandt van Rijn: Master of the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Rembrandt's painting reached its height. He spent most of his life in Amsterdam, where he acquired great prestige and where he became rich from trade. His style is characterized by a gloomy atmosphere, but the contrast between light and shadow is not as sharp as in Caravaggio. He cultivated all genres: religious painting, still lifes, portraits, and more.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp

His most important works include: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (selectivity). This oil on canvas, painted in 1632, is in the Baroque style and is a group portrait of a constituency. Rembrandt began his career in Amsterdam in the year 1632 with this picture. The seven characters' names overlap and form a light scene where he masterfully organizes the composition. The subject matter is a public lesson taught by Dr. Tulp. The doctor lifts the tendons of the left hand with forceps and shows how they move the fingers.

The Night Watch and Other Works

The Night Watch (Round the Clock) is an oil on canvas in Amsterdam; it is a group portrait where the size of the figures is less than normal. The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild is an oil on canvas, a group portrait for the guild of clothiers from the year 1661. The six characters share a sense of complicity, as if they are looking at the spectator, bathed in the warm red lights of the tapestry. Other notable works by Rembrandt include The Slaughtered Ox (still life), Self-Portrait with Turban, Woman Bathing in a Stream, The Descent from the Cross, and The Man with the Golden Helmet.

Johannes Vermeer of Delft

Vermeer of Delft, the other representative of the Dutch school, is one of the best-known Dutch painters of the Baroque. Vermeer's complete body of work is very small, consisting of only 33 to 35 tables. His early works were historical, but he rose to fame thanks to his painting of manners (genre painting). Among his best-known works are View of Delft, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Geographer, The Little Street, and The Milkmaid. In life, he was a moderately successful painter, but he is now considered one of the greatest painters of the Netherlands. He is recognized for his mastery in the use and treatment of light.