Art Analysis: A Dentist By Candlelight
Dutch artist, Gerrit Dou, started painting “A Dentist by Candlelight” in 1660 and completed it in 1665. The medium of this art is oil on an oak panel. While the painting is small in size, the imagery is much larger. The painting itself measures just a little over fourteen inches by ten inches. The brush strokes are soft and airy, as if it was painted on silk. Most of the colors used are dark, except for the gold and yellow tones that are used to make the center of the image seem to glow. In fact, one might actually question if there was something behind the painting to illuminate the center scene. With the deep contrast of colors Dou has made excellent use of chiaroscuro and tenebrism within the candlelight scene. This style of painting is
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Baroque paintings were more realistic and simple than other styles. They usually showed more emotion and the complexity of the scene was minimal. In this particular piece Dou has done an excellent job in portraying the fear of the patient as the dentist approaches him. The woman, assumed to be the patient’s wife, looks on with concern for her husband. She is lovingly holding his hand, as a mother would do for her child. The Catholic Church, who were supporters of the Baroque era, saw paintings like these as a return to a more spiritual and traditional time of life. “Baroque art falls into the period of Counter-Reformation led by the Catholic Church against the Protestants. Much of the Baroque art, especially in Italy, reflects reaction to Mannerism, but also the social turmoil of the time. According to the Council of Trent and the Catholic Church artworks should be a clear, intelligible subject realistically interpreted in order to stimulate piety. This was part of the reason that the artwork turned towards naturalism, becoming emotionally engaging and intense (History of Art Study Guide: 14th Century to Present).” With the use of emotion Dou shows he has mastered the essence of this style of painting. His subjects flow together and almost seem to be in unity with their movements and feelings. The depiction of the moment actually draws the observer in and one can almost feel the fear in the elderly
Baroque paintings were more realistic and simple than other styles. They usually showed more emotion and the complexity of the scene was minimal. In this particular piece Dou has done an excellent job in portraying the fear of the patient as the dentist approaches him. The woman, assumed to be the patient’s wife, looks on with concern for her husband. She is lovingly holding his hand, as a mother would do for her child. The Catholic Church, who were supporters of the Baroque era, saw paintings like these as a return to a more spiritual and traditional time of life. “Baroque art falls into the period of Counter-Reformation led by the Catholic Church against the Protestants. Much of the Baroque art, especially in Italy, reflects reaction to Mannerism, but also the social turmoil of the time. According to the Council of Trent and the Catholic Church artworks should be a clear, intelligible subject realistically interpreted in order to stimulate piety. This was part of the reason that the artwork turned towards naturalism, becoming emotionally engaging and intense (History of Art Study Guide: 14th Century to Present).” With the use of emotion Dou shows he has mastered the essence of this style of painting. His subjects flow together and almost seem to be in unity with their movements and feelings. The depiction of the moment actually draws the observer in and one can almost feel the fear in the elderly