Rembrandt and his Contemporaries
22 May – 29 September 2013
An enchanting exhibition of works from the Golden Age of Dutch painting, revealing the radical sensibilities of these revolutionary artists.
Thanks to George IV’s passion for the Dutch Baroque, the Queen has a very fine collection of master paintings from 17th-century Netherlands including works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Ruisdael.
This exhibition celebrates this Golden era in painting, and features old favourites – like Rembrandt’s An Old Woman often thought to be the artist’s mother – together with less well known works by the likes of Gerrit Dou and the beautifully restrained still lifes of Willem C Heda. In its entirety the show reveals an era of great radical experimentation in Northern European art.
Little is known about the Dutch painter Jacob van Ruisdael, who was born in Haarlem in 1628. Various reports claim he died penniless and insane in Amsterdam, while others suggest he became a pioneering surgeon, relieving gouty members of the public of their legs.
Yet, whichever route he travelled be it madness or medicine, his early years spent painting the landscapes of the Netherlands had a lasting impact on a generation of artists. In his elegant depictions of the countryside, Ruisdael captured the tragic cycle of life, in weather patterns and decaying nature.