Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Example

Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Example Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Humans Relationship to Nature and Construction of Nature in C17 Essay Introduce: This part of our presentation is focused on Dutch Golden Age landscape and seascape painting. A period in Dutch history generally spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. At that time, the Dutch republic was one of Europe’s most prominent states. It strength was manifest not only in politics and economics but also in the arts and sciences at Europe. II. Land, sea and sky paintings of the 17 century: Landscape painting was a major genre in the 17th century. The Dutch landscape is actually firmly rooted in 16th century Flemish landscape painting. These had been not particularly realistic, having been painted mostly in the studio, partly from imagination, and often still using the semi-aerial view from above typical of earlier Netherlandish landscape painting. A more realistic Dutch landscape style developed, seen from ground level, often based on drawings made outdoors, with lower horizons which made it possible to emphasize the often impressive cloud formations that were (and are) so typical in the climate of the region, and which cast a particular light. Favorite subjects were the dunes along the western sea coast, rivers with their broad adjoining meadows where cattle grazed, often with the silhouette of a city in the distance. Winter landscapes with frozen canals and creeks also abounded. The sea was a favorite topic as well since the Holland depended on it for trade, battled with it for new land, and battled on it with competing nations. A different type of landscape, produced throughout the tonal and classical phases, was the romantic Italianate landscape, typically in more mountainous settings than are found in the Netherlands, with golden light, and sometimes picturesque Mediterranean staff age and ruins. a. Sky painting: Philip Koninck(1619-88) An extensive Landscape with a road by a ruin 1655. Oil on canvas, 137. 4167. 3cm London, National Gallery. Koninck’s landscapes are characterized by a high viewpoint and a sky which occupies at least half of the picture space. They are cloudscapes as much as extensive landscapes. He emphasizes the flatness of Holland, a more realistic approach than, for example, that of Aelbert Cuyp, who attempts to make his landscapes more varied by the inclusion of hills and mountains taken from his imagination rather than from his observation of the Dutch countryside. The landscape with a high sky was particularly in favor in the 1650s and 1660s, not just in the work of Koninck, but also in that of Jacob van Ruisdael and also in the etched landscape of Rembrandt. Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 1628-82) View of Haarlem from the Northwest c. 1670. Oil canvas, 4338 cm Like Koninck, he adopts a high viewpoint, devoting more than half the canvas to a cloud-filled sky. Ruisdael was the first painter to render dutch landscape in this manner. In this bird’s-eye view, the bleaching fields near Haarlem are seen from the dunes in the Northwest. The city in the distance is easily recognizable, its profile dominated by the characteristic tower if the church of St. Bavo in the centre, silhouetted against a mass of clouds. In the area around Haarlem, laundries were a familiar sight, places where hundreds of pieces of linen lay in the water and on the grass. To a large extent the prosperity of the city depended on the textile industry in general, and the bleaching fields in particular. In the first half of the seventh century, about a thousand worker s were employed in the bleaching industry, and the product of their labors was universally acclaimed for it whiteness. This painting is an excellent example of the manner in which landscapes painters in the republic were inspired by their surroundings. Jacobs was a native of Haarlem, and in the 1670, he painted at least fifteen similar panoramic view of his native city, which seventeenth-century inventories referred to as â€Å"Haerlempjes† This work displays the dramatic and ominous atmosphere for which Ruisdael’s lanscapes were famous. An impressive, almost menacing back of clouds hanging over the bleaching fields is only sporadically pierced by the bright sunlight. The light travels across the flat land in long, narrow rays, splendidly highlighting the red roofs of the houses in the foreground and the white line hanging from the washing line. Further away, the sunlight is also reflected in the white canvas sails of the windmills and in the section of the closely packed houses of Haarlem in the distance. b. Sea painting: Ludolf Bakhuizen (1631-1708) The Man-of-War Brielle on the Maas near Rotterdam 1689. Oil on canvas, 130x197cm The first generation of Dutch sea painters concentrated almost exclusively on events happening on water, and approach which was revived by a number of later artists, including Bakhuizen In this monumental seascape, Rotterdam, city of merchants, stands on the horizon, and the bustling river traffic with its countless vessels of all types and sizes occupies the foreground. But most important, here on the Maas below Rotterdam is the Brielle, a man of war of the city’s admiralty, under full sail with it stern to the viewer. The impressive silhouette of the ship, shrouded in the shadows cast by clouds, stand out against an illuminated sky. In the foreground fishermen pull in their nets as all the daily activities continues as usual. In the background, above a phosphorescent strip of water, other sections of Rotterdam are visible, including the two gates at the entrance to the Leuvehaven harbor, the town hall, the marine warehouse†¦ Aelbert Cuyp (1620-91) View of Dordrecht c. 1655. Oil on canvas, 97. 8137. 8 cm London, Kenwood House, Iveagh Bequest. Cuyp never visited Italy but he bathed his very Dutch landscapes in a golden Italian sunlight witch sparkles on the water and warms the stones of the buildings. Because his style does not develop significantly his painting are difficult to date but the view of his native town from the river Maas was probably painted in about 1655. The outline of the city is dominated by the profiles of the Groothooftspoort on the left and the squat tower of the Grote Kerk, a familiar landmark in Cuyp’s many views of his home town, to the right. c. Land painting: Aelbert Cuyp(1629-1691) Fishermen on the Frozen River Panel, 57115 The warm southern light which is such a feature of the Italianates’ are landscapes was never more successfully employed in Dutch winter paintings than by the Dordrecht artist Aelbert Cuyp. Several fishermen seen from a low vantage point are hacking at the ice with poles. On the left is a woman in a sleigh drawn by two horses. The low viewpoint lakes the people and animals stand out as silhouettes against the horizon. In the distance, over the horse’s rumps, in the great Church of Dordrecht, this identifies this stretch of water as the River Merwede. Cuyp was one of the first artists who allowed the reflection of the sky on the mirror-smooth ice to play an important part in the composition. The light falling from the left for foreground reflects of the ice, softening the sharp contours of the shadows. As the result of this rather diffuse lighting, the skaters and the richly decorated sleigh drawn by two horses in the distance are only dimly visible, and the hazy atmosphere seems almost palpable. Nicolaes Berchem(1620-1683) A stag hunt Oil on canvas, 49. 4x 77. 5 cm, London, Royal Academy. The subject illustrates the unusually versatility apparent in the Berchem’s oeuvre and it might perhaps be mentioned that the style is not entirely characteristic. In contrast to the timeless air of his Italianate scenes, Berchem here concentrates on a single moment of violent action. The shot of the huntsman reverberates through the scene and the figures with the excited animals surge forward to light on the terrified deer. The whole composition strains upward in a dramatic diagonal culminating in the sweep of the tress. Flickering brush strokes add to the sense of energy and activity. On the left one glimpses the characteristic golden color of the distant landscape. III. Some Hidden Meanings: There are fewer hidden meanings in landscapes than in other genres of Dutch painting but some symbolism is still apparent. Firstly there is the patriotic connection in many 17th century landscapes with recognizably Dutch places and motifs that show an unmistakable pride in the Republic. The windmill’s sails had been associated with Christ’s cross. And they also been illustrated as emblems of fortune, folly, virtue, etc. As well as the use of the quintessentially Dutch windmill, there was also Aelbert Cuyp’s frequent depiction of cows, a possible reference to the very important and famous Dutch milk and cheese industry, and the references made to the new canal systems in the paintings of the 1630s and 1640s. Religion, despite the Calvinist regime, also played an important part in Dutch landscape painting. As well as the religious paintings of the early century, there is also a connection with God in the slightly later naturalistic landscape in that he is ultimate creator of all nature. Mountains in particular have drawn much attention, representing to Calvinists the beauty of God’s creation, while others saw them as a punishment imposed by God on previously flawless world after the fall of man. They also could represent the laborious struggle of life that had to be overcome. Variety in paintings has also been connected to the divine creation by writers like Van Mander who suggest that by subtly varying subject matter, composition, colour and motifs they are nearing the diverse beauty of God’s creation. Another religious theme that becomes more apparent in the latter half of the century is that of Vanitas and transience. Vanitas emphasizes the fleeting and uncertain nature of human life through motifs connected with death, such as cemeteries and skulls, and motifs connected with change such as the turbulent skies in the paintings of Jacob van Ruisdael and various landscapes that depict trees with both fresh and brown leaves, alluding to the passing of time. It is clear then that there is some element of deeper meaning that can be read into some of these seemingly straightforward works.