When it comes to Dutch artists, you probably know of Rembrandt and Vermeer, but a man named Gabriel Metsu was once the darling of Dutch painting. He has fallen out of the spotlight, but an exhibit at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., is bringing the master back.
“Metsu was, like his contemporary Vermeer, one of the most important genre painters of his age. In addition to painting many exquisite scenes of everyday life, he also ventured into portraiture, biblical scenes and still-lifes. Among the works in the exhibition will be a number of recently discovered and newly restored paintings that will afford a contemporary audience an opportunity to evaluate the artist afresh. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be A Woman Artist (Le Corset rouge), (c.1661-4) which was recently found in a private collection and features Metsu's wife, Isabella de Wolff, who frequently modelled for her husband.” Notes come from the National Gallery of Ireland exhibition catalogue. [Private Collection - Oil on panel]
When it comes to Dutch artists, you probably know of Rembrandt and Vermeer, but a man named Gabriel Metsu was once the darling of Dutch painting. He has fallen out of the spotlight, but an exhibit at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., is bringing the master back.
Born in 1629 to a painter and a midwife, Metsu was recorded as a painter at the tender age of 14. The name of his teacher is unknown, but he probably studied for some time under the Utrecht painter Nicolaus Knupfer. In Leiden, Metsu painted mainly large-scale biblical scenes. In the middle of the 1650s, after his parents had died, Metsu moved to Amsterdam. This shift prompted him to change his specialisation and paint intimate scenes of daily life inspired by Gerrit Dou from Leiden and Gerard ter Borch from Deventer. As Metsu’s style became more meticulous in the 1660s, he focused increasingly on representing the pastimes of the upper class. Towards the end of his life, when he was one of the leading genre painters in Amsterdam, he continued to compete with various contemporaries outside his hometown, including Johannes Vermeer from Delft and Frans van Mieris from Leiden. Metsu had an unrivalled talent for imbuing his figures with humanity and personality. Few of his contemporaries matched his technical virtuosity. [Oil on canvas, 61.5 x 47.5 cm] gandalfsgallery.blogspot.com/2011/09/gabriel-metsu-doctor...
Gabriel Metsu. 1629-1667. Amsterdam. The Huntsman. Le Chasseur. 1661 La Haye (Den Haag) Mauritshuis
The Old Drinker By Gabriel Metsu
Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667) was a Dutch painter of scenes of everyday life who was best known for his use of the window format to frame his subjects.
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