Jan Steen, one of the most popular painters of the Dutch Golden Age, is known for his humorous depictions of dissolute households, tavern interiors, quacksalvers and love-sick young women. He was unrivalled in poking fun at every conceivable human weakness and vice. A lesser known fact is that he also painted history scenes: pieces based on episodes from the Bible, apocryphal writings and mythology - stories full of excitement, drama and passion. As with his genre pieces, Steen devoted a great deal of attention in his history paintings to the interaction between the figures, and was keenly aware of the satirical possibilities in every story. In contrast with his later image, Jan Steen was a versatile and ambitious artist with a profound knowledge of art history and literature: knowledge that comes to the fore in his history pieces. This richly illustrated publication, written by experts on Jan Steen, focuses on a little-known part of the artist's oeuvre.
- ISBN13 9789462621664
- Publish Date 21 February 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 15 June 2021
- Publish Country NL
- Imprint Uitgeverij de Kunst
- Format Paperback
- Pages 176
- Language English