The earliest achievement of realism is in painting, represented by the Dutch School. The Dutch School even influenced the critical realist literature and painting that prevailed in Europe in the 19th century.
As before, I would like to conclude first: the rise of the Dutch school marked the decay of the old aristocracy and the rise of the new rich bourgeoisie.
The peak of European industrialization, urbanization, and modernization in the 19th century, the major European countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Russia, etc., all embarked on a large-scale process. In fact, the first place in Europe to industrialize, urbanize, and modernize was in the Netherlands, which began this process as early as the 17th century.
The Dutch Revolution at the end of the 16th century freed the Netherlands from Spanish rule, cleared the way for the large-scale industrialization, urbanization and modernization of the Netherlands, coupled with the plundering of overseas trade and overseas colonization, the Dutch economy developed rapidly, and the new rich bourgeoisie rose in large numbers, including rich merchants, factory owners, skilled skilled workers and a large number of middle classes, etc., and gradually became the main force in society. With the wealth in their hands, they continued to erode the interests of the old aristocracy, which continued to decline until it declined.
With the rise of the new wealthy bourgeoisie and the decline of the old aristocracy, profound changes have taken place in the political, economic, social, cultural, ideological and other fields of the Netherlands. Artistic and aesthetic tastes changed from pandering to the needs of the old aristocracy to pandering to the needs of the new wealthy bourgeoisie.
Artistic and aesthetic tastes in line with the new wealthy bourgeoisie became mainstream, and the Dutch school of painting flourished. The Dutch school abandoned the aristocratic aesthetic, no longer relying on the nobility and the court, and turned to the aesthetics of the commoners, closer to the life of the newly affluent bourgeoisie, reflecting the life and daily life of their class.
We can see this from the representatives of the Dutch School and their masterpieces. Representatives of the Dutch school include Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, jan Sten. They are mainly portraits, landscape paintings, still life paintings and genre paintings, and the themes of paintings include figures, landscapes, cityscapes, still life, etc., which are not major social themes, but real life, social customs, and mediocre daily depictions, the main purpose of which is to cater to the aesthetic tastes of the new rich bourgeoisie and the citizen class.
Rembrandt
Rembrandt was an outstanding representative of the Dutch school of painting, and had an important position and influence not only in the Netherlands, but also in all of Europe.
His main achievement was portraiture. Because there was no photographic and videographic technology in that era, people at that time were keen on portraiture, whether nobles or commoners, had to confirm their blood relations and social status through portraiture. Occupation, gender, family, marital status and other contents are displayed through portraits, so that they can gain recognition in society. The newly wealthy bourgeoisie is even more enthusiastic about portraiture, hoping to express its identity, status and wealth through portraiture. Rembrandt was precisely a painter who could accurately grasp the mood of the new rich bourgeoisie.
The titles, identities, and status of the old nobles were obtained by relying on the lineage and bloodline, and through inheritance and inheritance relations, which had a certain degree of stability and stability. As long as you are born in an aristocratic family, whether you are a genius or a fool, you can get a knighthood, status, and status. For example, in the succession to the throne in ancient history, even if some heirs are not smart and clever, or even problematic, his status as the eldest son can still allow him to inherit the throne smoothly and get the support of the courtiers.
The position of the new rich bourgeoisie is determined by the amount of wealth it has, and wealth is earned by the hard work of individuals. The stability is far inferior to the lineage of the door and the bloodline. Today, although you have a million family wealth, it is not necessarily guaranteed that your descendants will also have it, nor does it necessarily guarantee that you will always have a smooth sailing. Any volatility and unforeseen things can wipe out your wealth and be kicked out.
"Thirty years of Hedong, thirty years of Hexi", "rich but not three generations" is this truth. So, unlike the old aristocracy, the new rich bourgeoisie is an in-and-out class. As long as you work hard, you have money, you can squeeze into this class, once you go bankrupt, the wealth decreases, you will be kicked out of this class, the new people for the old, the back wave pushes the front wave.
For the new wealthy bourgeoisie, they are deeply aware of the hardships of entrepreneurship and the strangeness of the world, so they are eager for wealth to allow them to obtain the status of the old aristocracy. They are both self-respecting and restless, enterprising and old-fashioned, full of adventure and cautious at the same time. The contradictory environment has created their contradictory psychology, and the contradictory psychology portrays the contradictory look.
The Girl in the Cloak with The Golden Edge
In this work, the girl wants to talk and stop, full of heart, and the dynamics of emotions in the eye contact with the viewer are ready to come out. From top to bottom, the rounded and full forehead, tight lips, slightly pronounced double chin, and subtle changes in the dark treatment make the facial features stand out.
Night Watch
Recognized as one of the most important paintings in the world. The painting depicts a group of members of the Civic Army preparing to march toward a certain target. It embodies the lofty ideals of people fighting for and defending freedom. However, this painting became a turning point in his life, and his life fell into a trough, but his artistic achievements reached its peak and led to the golden age of the Netherlands.
The reason why Rembrandt has such a pivotal position in the history of painting art stems from his courage and boldness to adhere to his own artistic style after completing "Night Watch".
Vermeer
Most of his works depict comfortable, restful bourgeois family life, showing the familiar daily life of women reading letters, playing the piano, drinking milk, and weaving lace. His representative works are "The Girl Who Reads Letters" and "The Maid Who Poured Milk".
The Girl Who Reads Letters
There is a huge map hanging on the background wall, which was very popular at the time, and also confirms from the side that the Dutch navigation industry was developed at that time, and a young girl bathed in the sun and read letters, she was calm and focused. The picture is simple and quiet, there is no fascinating plot, but everything shows the sincerity of life.
The Maid Who Poured Milk
The whole picture is very simple, the simple kitchen seems comfortable, comfortable, and even produces an ethereal sense of interlacing time. The maid who was pouring milk had a rosy face, and her casual expression was vividly depicted.
Hals
Hals's portraits depicted various types of figures from all strata in the Netherlands at that time. Whether it is the eminent elite, the humble poor, or the group portraits of the middle class, all of them show smiles that match their identity and personality. His masterpiece is Gypsy Girl.
Gypsy Girl
This is one of his most iconic portrait masterpieces. The protagonist is a street artist, her black hair is scattered, dressed casually, open-chested and frank, although life is wandering, but a lively and cheerful smile blooms like a flower.
Jan Sten
One of his most famous genre painters is good at showing scenes of the life of citizens' families, and the noisy scenes of these families, eating and drinking, are often faithfully reflected in his pictures. Masterpiece "The Eve of St. Nicholas' Day".
"The Eve of St. Nicholas' Day"
This is a genre painting depicting family life, which vividly expresses the very ordinary family life, and the indoor atmosphere is lively and cheerful.
In the 17th century, the industrialization, urbanization and modernization of the Netherlands brought about economic development, urban prosperity, and the opening of humanistic ideas, ushering in the golden age of Dutch history, which is known as the "Dutch Golden Age". This background directly contributed to the flourishing of the Dutch school.
Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and their masterpieces completely string together the golden age of Dutch painting and leave a strong mark on history.