Dutch Painting In The Seventeenth Century by Madlyn Millner Kahr

Author:Madlyn Millner Kahr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In The Physician’s Visit (142) Jan Steen used different means to elucidate the alternate title. The Lovesick Young Woman. The knowing smile of the physician hints that he is not taking very seriously the illness of his patient. The nature of her ailment is betrayed by the painting on the wall, which shows Venus embracing Adonis, who soon will leave her despite her entreaties. And the child playing on the floor is a recognizable kin to the Cupid with his quiver of arrows who accompanies and identifies the goddess of Love in innumerable Renaissance paintings. The dog (symbol probably of animal nature rather than fidelity in this context), resting quietly beside the young woman, has its parallel in Adonis’ hunting dogs in the picture within the picture. This small domestic drama, blending earthy reality with both classical allusions and moralizing comment, is characteristic of Ian Steen and of a large and significant segment of Dutch painting. In some cases Steen inscribed his paintings with a motto or proverb to stress his didactic intention.

142. Ian Steen, The Physician’s Visit

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.