Part I · Art movements · Chapter 3 of 31

Baroque and the Dutch Golden Age

c. 1600–1720. Baroque painting is drama: deep shadows, spotlit figures, movement and emotion. In the Dutch Republic the same skills turned to quiet interiors, portraits, landscapes and still lifes for a new middle-class market.

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio — **The Calling of Saint Matthew**, Caravaggio (1599–1600). Oil on canvas. San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. Source: Wikimedia Commons · CC0

The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn — **The Night Watch**, Rembrandt van Rijn (1642). Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez — **Las Meninas**, Diego Velázquez (1656). Oil on canvas. Museo del Prado, Madrid. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Context

In Catholic Rome, the Church wanted art that spoke directly to ordinary people. Caravaggio answered with real-looking, street-cast figures lit by a single dramatic light.

His style (tenebrism) spread across Europe — to Spain (Velázquez), Flanders (Rubens) and the Netherlands (Rembrandt).

The Protestant Dutch Republic had few church commissions, so painters specialised: portraits, landscapes, seascapes, interiors and still lifes sold on an open art market.

Key artists

Artist	Life	Known for
Caravaggio	1571–1610	Tenebrism and raw realism: The Calling of Saint Matthew.
Peter Paul Rubens	1577–1640	Energy, colour and swirling compositions.
Diego Velázquez	1599–1660	Loose, optical brushwork: Las Meninas.
Rembrandt van Rijn	1606–1669	Light, impasto and psychology: The Night Watch.
Frans Hals	c. 1582–1666	Lively, rapid alla prima portraits: The Laughing Cavalier.
Johannes Vermeer	1632–1675	Window light and calm interiors: The Milkmaid.
Rachel Ruysch	1664–1750	Spectacular flower still lifes.

Key works

Tap any image to zoom; works marked ◎ have notes on key details.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer — **Girl with a Pearl Earring**, Johannes Vermeer (c. 1665). Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer — **The Milkmaid**, Johannes Vermeer (c. 1658). Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Lacemaker by Johannes Vermeer — **The Lacemaker**, Johannes Vermeer (c. 1669–1670). Oil on canvas. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer — **View of Delft**, Johannes Vermeer (c. 1660–1661). Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt van Rijn — **The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp**, Rembrandt van Rijn (1632). Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Self-Portrait with Two Circles by Rembrandt van Rijn — **Self-Portrait with Two Circles**, Rembrandt van Rijn (c. 1665–1669). Oil on canvas. Kenwood House, London. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals — **The Laughing Cavalier**, Frans Hals (1624). Oil on canvas. The Wallace Collection, London. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Still Life with a Gilded Goblet by Willem Claesz. Heda — **Still Life with a Gilded Goblet**, Willem Claesz. Heda (1635). Oil on panel. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Vase with Flowers by Rachel Ruysch — **Vase with Flowers**, Rachel Ruysch (c. 1700). Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Young Woman with a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer — **Young Woman with a Water Pitcher**, Johannes Vermeer (ca. 1662). Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)

Techniques

Tenebrism: a single strong light with most of the picture in deep shadow.
Toned grounds — mid-brown or grey — so the painter only has to add lights and darks.
Impasto: thick paint in the lights (Rembrandt), thin transparent paint in the darks.
Alla prima: painting wet-into-wet in one session (Hals, Velázquez).
Diagonal compositions and figures caught mid-action.
Careful observation of window light and reflected light (Vermeer).
Still-life 'vanitas' symbols: skulls, candles, flowers and timepieces reminding us of mortality.

How to paint in this style

Tone your canvas a warm mid-brown (burnt umber or raw umber thinned and wiped).
Set up one strong light from high on one side. Squint to see the big shapes of light.
Block in the shadows thinly and transparently — let the toned ground show through.
Paint the lights thickly and opaquely, getting brighter and thicker toward the highlight.
Keep the background dark and simple so the lit form jumps forward.
Lose edges in shadow; keep the sharpest edge and strongest contrast at the focal point.
Add a final highlight with a loaded brush and don't touch it again.

Typical palette

Lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion, red lake, raw and burnt umber, bone black, and — for Vermeer — natural ultramarine and lead-tin yellow.