Brilliant Dutch Golden Age artists and their best works

The ‘Dutch Golden Age’ of painting was a period in the 17th century when everything Dutch was on top of the charts. The ‘Dutch Golden Age’ was the giver of masterpieces by some of the most famous painters, like Rembrandt and Vermeer. These artists beautifully painted everyday life, landscapes, still images, and portraits with detail and a sense of realism. Be it painting with impressionist techniques to the ones that defined what ‘Chiaroscuro’ was to the world, ‘Dutch Golden Age’ was a blessed period in the genre of arts.
Here we list some brilliant artists from the Dutch Golden Age and their best work.

Rembrandt van Rijn or better known by his first name Rembrandt is one of the most famous artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in 1606, Rembrandt perfected the use of light and shadow, known as chiaroscuro, in his paintings and his ability and mastery in showing perfect expressions on people set him apart from those of his period.
One of his most iconic works is ‘The Night Watch’ for sure, which is a monumental group and shows his exceptional skill in capturing movement and drama.

Johannes Vermeer is another well-known name of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Delft in 1632, Vermeer was perfect when it came to conveying soft, subtle and beautiful expressions. He often painted beautiful scenes of everyday life with detail and intimacy.
His most famous painting ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is known all over the world for its beauty and the way there is a soft glow on the girl’s face and her pearl earring.

Frans Hals was born in 1582 and is celebrated even today for his lively, full of colours and emotions and expressive portraits. His technique was that of loose brushwork and his art had a sense and touch of realism to it.
His group portrait ‘The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company’ is one of the biggest examples of his mastery of the craft and perfectly showed all the expressions of the subjects present. Another great work by Hals is ‘Portrait of a Man Holding a Skull’ which became evidence to his understanding of human character and his mastery of psychological portraits.

Gerrit Dou was a highly skilled painter known for his attention to detail and very refined technique. His painting ‘The Young Mother’ is evidence of his ability to beautifully portray the simplicity of everyday life. Filled with different textures and different expressions on the face of the characters, the painting is a true masterpiece.

Very few women have been recognised in the arena of painting and Judith is one of them. Judith Leyster was one of the few female artists of the Dutch Golden Age to achieve recognition for her work. She is known today for her lively scenes and portraits, especially her painting ‘The Merry Drinker’. The painting is an excellent example of her skillful use of light and colour to convey the mood and character and highlight the focal point of the portrait.

Jan van Goyen was born in Leiden in 1596 and is one of the best landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He was famous for his lively and beautiful depictions of Dutch landscapes and seascapes. His painting ‘A Windmill by a River’ is the perfect example of his ability to paint and show viewers the changing effects of light and weather on the natural world. His paintings had a sense of calm and peace in them and were the perfect leisure views.

His masterpiece, ‘View of Dordrecht’ shows an amazing use of colour and textures and almost transports the viewer to the scene of the painting.