Our course on the Dutch Golden Age of Art continued on Friday 20 January 2023 with a look at Dutch Landscapes. Those that have visited the Netherlands will know that there are limitations to landscape subjects in the country, but that has not limited their artists, some of whom travelled to Germany and Italy to enhance their inspiration.

One topic dealt with the practice of employing different artists to work on the same picture, some specialising in the sea, others specialising in people, animals, wagons and so on.

We saw the many pictures by Albert Cuyp of cows – a popular farm animal in the Netherlands not only for the milk, cream and cheese, but also for its contribution to the linen industry in the country. Some of the paintings were small – roughly 50cm by 40cm, and others were much larger.

Cleaning of the pictures was also discussed, with the cleaning of one painting by Hendrick van Anthonissen’s of the beach at Scheveningen revealing a centre of attention that had been hidden by centuries of over-painting for purposes unknown. You can see how the leviathan was discovered at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMgUPTbqih4

Leading the audience of 50 through the fascinating history of the Dutch Golden Age is our member Jennifer, whose light-hearted delivery and anecdotes hide an amazing depth of knowledge.