Man Writing in an Artist's Studio (Primary Title)
Gerrit Dou, Dutch, 1613 - 1675 (Artist)
This masterpiece from the early period of Dou’s career
is a compelling allegory of an artwork’s potential for
moral instruction. A large painting is positioned
horizontally on an easel in the center of this modest
genre scene. Compositions in this format were usually
history paintings with subjects that confronted the
viewer with intricate or difficult moral and ethical
conundrums. An elderly man sits making notes after
contemplating the panel before him. To all outward
appearances, he is not the painter but rather a scholar
of the artwork. Instead of brushes and palette, the
chamber is equipped with a violin, a globe, a Bible,
and a snuffed candle, respectively suggesting the
refined faculties for appreciating the liberal arts,
worldly knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and consciousness of the transient nature of mortal existence. Dou
situated a snare drum and other military accouterments
in the foreground to contrast the man’s scholarly
retirement with the choice of a more active and
adventurous life, thereby emphasizing the moralizing
dimension of the scene.
The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection
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