An Artistic Insight on the Dutch Golden Age
The Grocer's Shop, by Gerrit Dou, is an oil painting on wood panel, created during 1672 in either Leiden or Amsterdam.
Context and Dutch Golden Age
The Dutch Golden Age was a period of Dutch wealth and versatility of merchant industries in the Netherlands, which included fishing, agriculture, textiles, sugar, and tobacco. Thanks to these booming merchant industries, Dutch trading was amongst the most acclaimed of the world, and the fishing industry established this when they developed the ability to process fish they caught while still at sea. This allowed the ships to stay at sea longer, in addition to having the fish ready for export to the Baltic. Dutch trading later expanded to Russian, Mediterranean, and Levantine markets, followed by Asia and the Atlantic. Due to their vast regions of trade, the Netherlands became very culturally diverse not only in their products but in their population as well. In contrast to the Renaissance, art was usually purchased in abundance by wealthy merchants rather than the Church, and usually depicted experiences of urban middle-class elites. Imagery of art often included products from around the world, considering the innovation of Dutch trading.
Subject Matter
The Grocer's Shop portrays the narrative of a market scene within a stone, arched window. Center of the market scene is a woman dressed in a red, French-influenced fashion, holding a scale while reaching for an item of food. On the right of the woman in red, is a smaller woman dressed in a neutral green color, resting her hand on a wooden basket and pointing at one of the market items placed on the ledge in front of them. In the background of the display, a woman appears to be leaving the shop with a white can and a cloth draped over her arm, as a man behind the counter helps a youthful customer. Dutch trading is referenced in this painting by the several shop items that we can assume to be imported. On the ledge there are several lemons sitting on a blue and white oriental style dish, and hanging from the arch there are sponges and poppies, probably used for making syrup. Beneath the arch, there is a sculpting in the stone of children playing with a goat.
Art Elements
Dou uses light in the painting to draw our focus to the two women in front of the stone window. Light entering from the window illuminates their fair skin, and also reflects off of the red dish and the glass sitting on the ledge. Not only does the use of light bring the focus to the women, it gives the viewer a sense of time of day as well. Texture can be seen in many aspects of this art, starting with the red pot in the bottom right corner. Dou's sideways brushstrokes and the dull, non-reflecting light give away that the pot is made of clay. Another area of texture is the stone window, where we can see the texture of the stone through the use of orange and red colors that give a rustic look, and dark streaks to depict cracks in the stone. Within the art, there is also a colorful curtain that the artist provides with texture. From the way Dou depicts bold creases in the cloth and contrast of light and dark in between them, it gives the curtain more of a stiff texture rather than something soft. Color and pattern is used magnificently in order to give the idea of diverse cultural items, such as the red pot with a lion on it and the blue and white oriental dish, which implies that they came from Asia. Additionally, the bright red and blue of the woman's dress give the character a sense of importance.
My Opinion
I'm not an art collector but this is an artwork that I actually wouldn't mind having around, and it reminds of a painting in a museum that would make me want to stop and appreciate it for an annoying length of time. Details that artists used in this time period is mind-blowing, and it's so intriguing to me to think that these artists were able to capture such accuracy and even the most minute details in order to bring a painting together. I really enjoy Dutch Baroque art because it shows what life was like in that time period, and to me that is really important since it not only serves to be viewed, but also as a form of history. To be able to look at an artwork like this and place myself in the shoes of the characters depicted is so cool, and really makes me think of how different humanity and life was in the seventeenth century compared to now.
Harreld, Donald J. “The Dutch Economy in the Golden Age (16th – 17th Centuries).” EHnet, Harreld, Donald J. “The Dutch Economy in the Golden Age (16th – 17th Centuries).” EHnet,
“Gerrit Dou (Leiden 1613-Leiden 1675) - the Grocers Shop.” Royal Collection Trust, https://www.rct.uk/collection/405542/the-grocers-shop
HEN-Magonza. “Gerard Dou, Der Lebensmittelladen (the Grocer's Shop).” Flickr, Yahoo!, 2 Mar. 2017, https://www.flickr.com/photos/hen-magonza/33051726062
Hi Aleana! You chose a very beautiful oil painting. I love the details of every single item within this scene. Gerrit Dou seems like the perfect artist for the Dutch Baroque style, especially in showing a scene of every day life during that time. I am just so amazed at how beautiful each area is. I like the history that you detailed that is associated with how the merchants industry really started to become versed in acquiring art and was no longer just for royalty and nobles. As you mentioned, the lighter colors really bring out the woman and girl in the shop. I also love how there seems to be an area between the two in front and then the milk/jug and the white plate. It really draws your attention to that area with the back of the store front painted in darker colors, but still detailed enough to see what’s going on in the background. I love how the artist balanced out the white, red, and brown colors and then decided to have a pop of blue in the woman’s apron. This truly signifies how art transformed into something more than religious or mythological scenes.
ReplyDeleteAleana, The Grocer’s Shop is a great example of the rise of the merchant class. The bright tone and colorful painting highlight the joy of merchants supplying the local area with goods. What caught my eye was the sculpture on the front of the merchant table. It looks aged due to the lack of color in contrast with the rest of the painting. The sculpture on the table appears to be babies or possibly cherubs. This makes me think of how many paintings and art pieces depict cherubs in the renaissance period. There is a great contrast here where the table is expanding on old art to make it become brighter and richer. It elicits joy to see art being kept alive next to the vibrant color. The painting does not cover the sculpture, instead, it makes it apart of the piece and builds around it. There is art found in the joy of sharing goods and culture!
ReplyDelete