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Jan Steen – The Dancing Couple
The Dancing Couple, a large painting by Jan Steen, never ceases to amaze. Steen transports his audience to a delightful festive scene in which young and old eat, drink, flirt, play, and make merry. A dancing couple immediately springs to the fore. The man is a boorish peasant. He wears rough garments and a silly… Read more
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Jan Steen – Humour, Irony, or Empathy?
To this very day, the Dutch use the expression “Jan Steen household” to describe an untidy, rowdy home. Jan Steen (1626-1679) is a household name in The Netherlands. This Catholic artist, born into a well-to-do brewer family, is one of the most popular Dutch 17th-century artists. Four hundred of his paintings have survived. He painted… Read more
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Dance Images – The Dutch Golden Age
The Dutch Republic was unique in 17th-century Europe. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, as the conglomeration of the seven northern provinces was officially named, won its independence after an extended period of Spanish dominance. The Dutch nation came into being, bringing forth a unique form of society. For the first time in Europe,… Read more
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Herman Bieling – Fervent Propagandist for Modern Art
During the first decades of the 20th century, the conservative art world in Rotterdam was unaccommodating towards modern art. Avant-garde artists were excluded from exhibitions. Herman Bieling (1887-1964), the subject of this post, was the driving force behind ‘De Branding’, a group of innovative artists who took matters into their own hands. De Branding, which… Read more
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Flowing Curves – from Matthijs Maris to Jan Toorop
The longer you ponder over the nebulous illustration shown below, the more details come to the fore. At first glance, the image is misty. The chalk sketch is rendered in barely distinguishable strokes. Gradually, a gracious apparition materialises. Dancing figure, to the left, by Matthijs Maris (1839-1917), slowly discloses a lyrical female dancer wrapped in… Read more
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An artistic couple – Mommie Schwarz & Else Berg
Mommie Schwarz (1876-1942) and Else Berg (1877-1942) were among the earliest modernist painters in The Netherlands. They formed part of an ‘artist colony’, The Bergen School, founded by the French artist Henri le Fauconnier and Dutch artist Piet van Wijngaerdt. The artists of the Bergen School rejected impressionism. Their figurative work was influenced by cubism,… 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 