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Peasants Dancing at the Village Fair
Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s peasant paintings are emblematic. The Peasant Dance (1568), The Wedding Dance (c. 1566) and The Peasant Wedding (c. 1566-69) are arguably the best known peasant paintings ever painted. Bruegel’s paintings, however, famous as they are, were not the first examples of peasant dancing in The Low Countries. Peasants, be it dancing,… Read more
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Pieter Bruegel’s dancing peasants – a little background
The name Pieter Bruegel conjures up visions of bulky, amiable peasants dancing, drinking, and generally making merry. Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525 – 1569) sometimes, referred to as Peasant Bruegel, painted iconic images of dancing peasants in the 16th century. He, as no other artist, showcased the peasant in his rural surroundings. Pieter Bruegel,… Read more
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The Irresistible Spanish Dancer
The Spanish dancer inflames the senses. Her splendid carriage, her vibrant footwork, her profound emotion, her articulate hand gestures, and her powerful and expressive arm movements are irresistible. Many Dutch artists have fallen under her captivating spell. Kees van Dongen, Jan Sluijters, Piet van der Hem, Leo Gestel, and Kees Maks travelled to Spain in… Read more
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The Captivating Flamenco
During the second half of the 19th century, Spain, a land of history, splendour, and folklore, intrigued Dutch society. Journalists and writers started to visit Spain, just as a select group of tourists. The author and painter Jacobus van Looy, about whom I wrote extensively in a previous post, travelled to Spain in the 1880s,… Read more
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Dick Stolwijk – A fervent dance enthusiast
Writing posts is an exhilarating pastime, especially when one stumbles upon an artist hitherto unknown to the writer. Whilst researching material on Dutch artists inspired by Spanish folk dance, I discovered an intriguing etching of flamenco dancers by Dick Stolwijk. The image, entitled Cuado Flamenco, highlights a female flamenco dancer. In this predominantly dark image,… Read more
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Dancers in the Spotlight – Kees Maks
In previous posts I wrote about the remarkable Dutch artist Kees Maks, each time addressing the astonishing manner in which he expressed movement. His paintings, whether of dancers, horses, clowns, equestrians, or entertainers, are scintillating and full of life. In recent posts I discussed his unforgettable tango paintings, his cheeky can-can, and two delectable paintings… Read more
14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 21st century Adriaen Brouwer Adriaen Pietersz. van de Venne Adriaen van Ostade Albrecht Dürer Alma-Tadema art Arthurian Legends Bal des Ardents ballet Bergen School Bernard Picart Burgundian Court CoBrA Constant Cornelis Dusart Cornelis Massijs dance Dance/Dancers Dance around the Golden Calf dancers David Ryckaert III David Teniers the Younger David Vinckboons De Stijl Egg dance Else Berg Erhard Schön Flemish Art Frans Francken II Frans Huysmans George Hendrik Breitner Gertrud Leistikow Gillis Mostaert Hans Bol Hans Vredeman de Vries Harmen Meurs Henri Braakensiek Herman Bieling Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Francken the Younger illuminated manuscript Isaac Israels Isaac van Ostade Jacob Grimmer Jacob Savery I Jacobus van Looy Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Mandijn & followers Jan Miense Molenaer Jan Sierhuis Jan Sluijters Jan Steen Jan Toorop Jean-Baptiste Vanmour Jean de Wavrin Jean Froissart Karel Appel Karel van Mander Kees Maks Kees van Dongen Leo Gestel Loyset Liédet Lucas van Valckenborch Maarten van Heemskerck Maastricht Hours Marius Bauer Marten van Cleve Mommie Schwarz Mondrian Paolo Fiammingo/Pauwels Franck Pieter Aertsen Pieter Balten/Peeter Baltens Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Brueghel the Younger Pieter Codde Pieter de Bloot Pieter van der Borcht Pieter van der Heyden Piet Mondrian Piet van der Hem Romance of Alexander Roman de la Rose Rothschild Canticles Salome Sebald Beham Simon Bening Tango Theo van Doesburg Toer van Schayk Vilmos Huszár Vincent van Gogh Willem de Zwart
About me
As a young aspiring dancer I loved to ponder over the magnificent paintings created by Edgar Degas. How his ballerinas inspired me. The atmosphere of the Paris Opera, the beautiful tutus and the hard working dancers never failed to trigger my imagination. As the years past, I retained my love of dance, of Degas, of art, and developed an interest in knowing more about the cross fertilization between art and dance.
DANCE IMAGES IN THE ART OF THE NETHERLANDS 