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Baroque and Rococo
Gerrit Dou
Gerrit Dou(b Leiden, 7 April 1613; d Leiden, bur 9 Feb 1675).
Dutch painter. The first and most famous member of the group of artists referred to as the LEIDEN ‘FINE’ PAINTERS, he specialized in small-format paintings, the details and surfaces of which are carefully observed and meticulously rendered. He was greatly praised as a painter of artificial light by Samuel van Hoogstraten in 1678, and he was responsible for popularizing both the night scene and the ‘niche’ format, pictorial devices ultimately derived from the art of his famous master, Rembrandt. Dou used them in images of ordinary people ostensibly engaged in mundane activities.
Violin Player
1653
Oil on panel
Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein
Self-Portrait
1645
Oil on panel
Private collection, Spain
