Ofterdingen and Kropotkin

a la maison

The Nurse with Child also has a narrative subtext. The plainly dressed woman ofers the sumptuously decked-out central figure standing beside her an apple-a familiar fruit which at the same time reminds one of the world's conflicting nature and the transitoriness of life.

In the seventeenth century, a family of nine would have appeared rather small; it would therefore not have been unusual to add at least four or five more persons [...] the tree background which opens up in the center corresponds to this pastoral motif.

In the dim illumination of the darkened room, the beholder's attention is directed to a few bright, seemingly luminescent objects.

It was nonetheless expected that every artist planning to make a history painting should first read and digest the whole account, as recorded by the best writers. His position differed from that of the poet or historian, for he could depict but one moment of the history, not the whole. He must therefore choose this moment well: it must represent a crisis or turning point. 

Sources: C. Grimm, Frans Hals. New York. Harry N. Abrams. 1990. B. Haak, The Golden Age. New York. Stewart, Tabori & Chang.1996.

posted by Geist @ 1:50 pm