Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Netherlandish painters (rooms IV-VI/4-7) were early adopters of oil paint (as opposed to
older egg tempera), whose flexibility allowed them to brush the super-fine details for which
they are famous. Rogier van der Weyden (room IV) was a virtuoso handler of the new
medium. In Portrait of a Young Woman (c. 1400-1464), the subject wears a typical winged
bonnet, addressing the viewer directly with her fetching blue eyes. The subjects (especially
women) of most portraits of the time look off to one side; some art historians guess that the
confident woman shown here is Van der Weyden's wife. In the same room is a remarkable,
rare trio of three-panel altarpieces by Van der Weyden: The Marienaltar shows the life of
the Virgin Mary; the Johannesaltar narrates the life of John the Baptist—his birth, baptizing
Christ (with God and the Holy Spirit hovering overhead), and his gruesome death by decap-
itation; and the Middelburger Altar tells the story of the Nativity. Savor the fine details in
each panel of these altarpieces.
Flash forward a few hundred years to the 17th century and Flemish (Belgian) painting
(rooms VII-VIII/9-10), and it's apparent how much the Protestant Reformation—and result-
ing Counter-Reformation—changed the tenor of Northern European art. In works by Peter
Paul Rubens (1577-1640)—including Jesus Giving Peter the Keys to Heaven —calm, care-
fully studied, detail-oriented seriousness gives way to an exuberant Baroque trumpeting
of the greatness of the Catholic Church. In the Counter-Reformation world, the Catholic
Church had serious competition forthe hearts and minds ofits congregants. Exciting art like
this became a way to keep people in the pews. Notice the quivering brushstrokes and almost
too-bright colors. (In the same room are portraits by Rubens' student, Anthony van Dyck,
as well as some hunting still lifes from Frans Snyders and others.) In the next rooms (VIII
and 9) are more Rubens, including the mythological Perseus Freeing Andromeda and The
MartyrdomofSt.SebastianbyArrows (looselybasedonamorefamousrenditionbyAndrea
Mantegna).
Dutchpaintingfromthe17thcentury(roomsIX-XI/10-19)isdominatedbytheconvivial
portraits by Frans Hals (c. 1582-1666). His 1620 portrait of Catharina Hooft (far corner,
room 13) presents a startlingly self-possessed baby (the newest member of a wealthy mer-
chantfamily)dressedwithallthefineryofaqueen,adornedwithlaceandjewels,andclutch-
ing a golden rattle. The smiling nurse supporting the tyke offers her a piece of fruit, whose
blush of red perfectly matches the nanny's apple-fresh cheeks.
But the ultimate Dutch master is Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), whose powers of
perception and invention propelled him to fame in his lifetime. Displayed here are several
storytelling scenes (room 16), mostly from classical mythology or biblical stories, all em-
ploying Rembrandt's trademark chiaroscuro technique (with a strong contrast between light
anddark).In TheRapeofPersephone ,PlutograbsPersephonefromhischariotandracesto-
wardtheunderworld,whileothergoddessesclingtoherrobe,tryingtosaveher.Castagainst
anearly black background,thealmost overexposed, action-packed scene isshockingly emo-
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