Jan Steen Rhetoricians at the Window Example For Students

Jan Steen Rhetoricians at the Window Biography Jan Steen is recognized as one of the prominent artists of the Dutch Golden period right alongside Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn. However, Steen didnt get as much appreciation during his lifetime, leaving behind upwards of 500 unsold paintings when he died (Gold 213). He lived a modest life as an artist, supplementing his income over the years by opening a couple taverns and an inn. Daily life was Steens main pictorial theme and the tavern was a recurring setting for many scenes, especially during his period in Haarlem in the 1660s. His vivid portrayals of the Dutch social life were often humorous riddled with his own sort of moralizing, satirical comments he became recognized for. Steen has a real eye for comedy that deeply penetrated almost all of his paintings alas it was exactly this attention to humor that held him back from getting his foot in the fine art door. Vermeers poised stillness and Rembrandts dark, brooding imagery were praised as exemplars of Baroque style, making Steens artwork seem like a joke to some contemporaries. Gaining a posthumous reputation as Jan Steen, the good-for-nothing slackard , capable of nothing better than drinking and jesting, he became the unfortunate bearer of a crass and low-class reputation in the art world. Although Steen might have lived his days at the alehouse, eventually turning his own dwelling into a tavern, his lifestyle should not detract from his real merits. Invariably categorized as a genre painter, Steen is also a gifted history painter, creating scenes showing the recreations of the middle and lower classes (TEXT 731). Although portions of his work are indeed humorous, they usually convey a serious message as well. Steen was more than a free drinker but a free liver and a philosopher with a profoundly acute eye. Located at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jan Steens Rhetoricians at a Window (1658-65) is a 17th century Baroque oil painting, picturing four men hanging out the upstairs window of a Tavern. As the title supposes they are members of a chamber of rhetoric; a type of dramatic and literary society popular in Holland and public readings like the one taking place in Rhetoricians at a Window were commonplace. Steen portrayed many scenes from the lives of the Rederijkers and while its unknown if he himself belonged, the humanity, humour and optimism of the figures suggest that Jan Steen knew these men well, and wanted to portray them positively   (Gudlaugsson). The characters in this scene have a genuine living quality to them. It feels like a real moment Jan Steen witnessed, capturing and exaggerating all the subtleties of their personalities and expression in ruddy detail. The star figure of this composition is the group orator reading aloud from a paper titled; Lof Liet   or Song of Praise  . He hides the poem from us other than the title, making us wonder what the words of the poem are saying. Steen looked at the work of his peers for inspiration, and occasionally, he actually quoted their work directly on his own canvas or panel. (18) While its unclear if this is a direct reference to some other work, it could easily be a reference to Rembrandts Simeons Song of Praise (1631) which was a painting Jan Steen definitely knew of. We have to surmise our own interpretation of the poem is like by reading into the faces of the people who are hearing it. The paintings from this period are full of differentiations of character and expression in the figures. This, together with the profusion of detail, the multiplicity of incident, the frequent proverbial or literary basis, and an occasional theatrical element, requires them to be read  rather than simply experienced as a visual whole (Gowing Web). Although there are four main characters gathered around the open window, we can discern a total of six male figures. Steen wanted the orator to be the first person you see because in the painting he is the person you hear first. Vincent van GoghNotably, all three painting also features a coat of arms hanging below the window denoting a specific chamber of rhetoric. In all three paintings, the blazon is cropped by the composition cutting off its lower half. If you look at the series as a more of an artistic development working towards a stronger single image its easy to see that with each subsequent painting Steen is working towards a unique vision. The development from the initial composition, moving towards more dramatic expressions and finally an atheistic that successfully renders his humorous vision using an abundance of color. Rhetoricians at a Window features the strongest composition by far. Jan Steens dated paintings, when viewed in chronological order from 1650 to 1670, can provide a tentative timeline of his palette and any unique pigments in his palette during specific years. Jan Steen painted a variety of styles and his quality of work also varied throughout his career (Norbutus 55). This painting is one of Steens best, in its rich attention to detail, mastery of light, and elegant choice of colors. 7th century Dutch artists normally only had six or seven colors on their palette including white gradually darkening via red (vermillion), light ochre and a brownish-red towards two dark greens, browns or blacks (Norbutus 54). Steen was known for his distinctive handling of salmon-red, pale yellows, blue greens, and pinker colors (45). The size of this painting is relatively average at 29 7/8 x 23 1/16 inches (or 75. 9 x 58. 6 cm) but the scale of the composition envelops the viewer in this rather intima te scene as if they were participating in the scene. Bibliography: Gold, Sarah. Fodors Amsterdam. New York: Fodors Travel Publications, 2006. Print. Gudlaugsson, S. (1945). The Comedians in the work of Jan Steen and his Contemporaries, Janson, H. W., Penelope J. E. Davies, and H. W. Janson. Jansons History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Norbutus, Amanda J. Technical Investigation of the Materials and Methods Utilized in a Copy of a 17th Century Dutch Genre Painting: Gerrit Dous Man Interrupted at His Writing (1635). N.p.: n.p., 2008. Print. Philadelphia Museum of Art Rhetoricians at a Window. Philadelphia Museum of Art Collections Object : Rhetoricians at a Window. PMA, n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2014. Steen Jan (1626 1679) A Biographical Dictionary of Artists, Andromeda. Ed. Lawrence Gowing. London: Windmill Books (Andromeda International), 1995. Credo Reference. Web. 27 August 2014. Sutton, Peter C., and Marigene H. Butler. The Life and Art of Jan Steen. Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin 78.337 (1982): 1-63. Jstor. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.  . Walsh, John, and Jan Steen. Jan Steen: The Drawing Lesson. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Museum Studies on Art, 1996. Print.