Daily life paintings (Jan Steen)

Jan Havickszoon Steen (1626- 1679) Jan Steen heeft ongeveer 400 schilderijen gemaakt. Zijn grootste onderwerp was het dagelijkse leven. Sommige taferelen waren zo kenmerkend dat "een huishouden van Jan Steen" een gezegde is geworden in de Nederlandse taal. Daily life was Jan Steen's main pictorial theme. Many of the scenes he portrayed are lively to the point of chaos and lustfulness, even so much that a Jan Steen household, meaning a messy scene, became a Dutch proverb (een huishouden van Jan Steen). Subtle hints in his paintings seem to suggest that Steen meant to warn the vieuwer rather then invite him/her to copy this behaviour. Many of Steen's paintings bear references to old Dutch proverbs or literature. He often used members of his family as a model. Jan Steen painted also quite a few selfportraits, in which he showed no tendency of vanity. Psychological insight, sence of humor and abundance of colour are marks of his trade. link to biography www.spiritus-temporis.com Met dank aan Olga's gallery www.abcgallery.com Restauratie van "de huwelijksnacht van Tobias en Sarah" www.museumbredius.nl Inzoomer v/h rijksmuseum www.rijksmuseum.nl Music by Tchaikovsky "The Waltz of the Flowers"
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