(Interior of the Old Church in Delft by Emanuel de Witte, 1650-52)
Holland Cotter of the New York Times writes The Age of Rembrandt at the Met has an inventory of “breathtaking scope and depth.” But he’s critical of its “elusive heart” because it’s organized by acquisition date, not chronology. Nevertheless, I spotted some wonderful Dutch dog art.
(Curiosity by Gerard ter Borch, 1660)
(Drawing the Eel by Salomon van Ruysdael, 1650s)
(Yonker Ramp and his Sweetheart by Frans Hals, 1662)
(The Visit to the Nursery by Gabriël Metsu, 1661)
I’m sure those living in the Age of Rembrandt had a cold, challenging life, but I love their attitude towards dogs — including them in their lives and their art.
I’ve never seen such a glorious image of a dog relieving himself — in a shaft of bright light from above in the Old Delft church. And I wonder who Yonker Ramp’s real sweetheart is? He holds the dog’s sweet face in his hand and keeps his back to the woman!
(Some of the dogs are hard to see at this size. Click here to enjoy the NYT’s excellent slide show.)
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