Look at Composition In 17 th Century Netherlands
The artist composed this painting to show two views at the same time. On the right, a woman in a blue skirt and two men casually talk while the men relax. On the left, a child in a yellow skirt sits in an open doorway. The artist framed each view in special ways so that we notice the figures. The group is surrounded by a bower constructed with trellis-work. This dark wood catches our attention. The girl is framed by the arched doorway with red brick pattern. Her white cap stands out from the dark interior behind it.
A girl with a yellow skirt sits in the closest doorway. What does she hold? How many doorways do you look through in this painting?
What hangs on the red window shutter?
Pieter De Hooch’s early paintings show life as it was lived around the home. What do you think the barrel and the pot might be used for? Which one could hold water for washing floors or clothing? What part of the painting tells us that this is a clear, sunny day?
Pieter De Hooch, The Courtyard of a House in Delft , 1658. Photo Credit: Dover Publications Inc.
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