August, 2021 - Of Art and Wine

A Woman Painting Against the Odds, plus Wine Cocktails.

Women in art can be hard to find. Even in our day, their names are fewer than those of their male counterparts. However, there have always been those brave ones who wanted to honor their gifts outside of the home, where women’s craft and artistry were traditionally seen. The Dutch Golden Age and the Baroque Era offer two great female painters who claimed public recognition in a male dominated field, even against the odds. Let’s take a look at one of them, Judith Leystar.

Judith Leyster self-portrait, presented to the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke, 1633. Hover over image to magnify.

Now, what might one think of the woman in this picture? She is obviously very talented, as we can see in the fine painting of the palette, the chair, the clothing, and that intricate and elaborate lace collar. She is evidently quite properous and pleased with the work she does that brings in the money. We see a carefully painted representation of the artist in her studio. Yet, it is clear that she probably would never do a day’s work there dressed in these velvets, wearing that purest of white lace collars and those gauzy, diaphanous cuffs with lace trim. (Oh, how one misplaced dab of oil paint would ruin those.) No, she is doing her Golden Age Dutch thing: showing her prosperity. The joy on her face, however, is more pleasing than what you see on those somber paintings of the members of the various Dutch guilds, who were just prosperous traders. Leyster makes and markets her own work and is rightfully proud of her achievements.

The Dutch Golden Age, which lasted for most of the 17th century, was a time of great wealth and prosperity, which produced a booming market for artwork. The Dutch, while wanting to maintain their Protestant values, hence their use of the black and white clothing so often represented in their paintings, still wanted the world to see their wealth and how happy they were about it. Into this milieu was born Judith Leyster (1609-1660), 8th child of a weaver and a brewer. The brewer changed his name to go along with his beer and bar business, which was called Leyster or Lodestar. His daughter, Judith, would later sign her paintings with JL and a star.

Leyster showed early talent and was allowed to study with several local masters, one of whom may have been Frans Hals, the most important painter in Haarlem. As can be seen in the painting above, Leyster was not only talented, but also confident. Notice how she smiles at the viewer with her eyes focused directly toward all who would see her. She shows her pride in what she is doing, making this painting that would allow her to be the only woman painter accepted into the Guild of St. Luke in Haarlem. Her painting career had started in earnest in 1629 and with her acceptance into the guild in 1633, she could set up her own studio and take students. This she did, and when Frans Hals poached one of her students, she sued him and won. (The court ordered Hals to pay a fine, which he did, but he kept the student.)

Judith Leyster, The Proposition, 1631. Hover over image to magnify.

While Leyster had a fondness for painting figures enjoying life, playing music, etc., she also was known for emphasizing morality and good behavior. Some of her paintings show women who give indication that they are more than willing to be tempted. In the painting above, however, we see a woman who sits fully intent upon her sewing, paying no attention to the man beside her. She is dressed simply and modestly. Her foot on the footwarmer indicates that she prefers that to any warmth that the man might offer. His hand is extended with gold coins in it, but that does not turn her head. The lighting in the picture which is from the long flame of the lamp and the hot coals in the footwarmer is in keeping with a trend started by Caravaggio toward dark environments lit by a small source of light. The woman is in the center with the man off to the side, leaning in and even touching her shoulder, but to no avail. The setting is minimal, as there are no background elements in this painting as one might see in a Vermeer. The rather blank environment even makes one wonder: Where did this guy come from? Whatever the case, he is out of luck.

The Young Flute Player or Boy with a Flute by Judith Leyster, 1635. Hover over image to magnify.

This is one of Leyster’s finest paintings, toward the end of her active career. It again has a simple background, this time with just one character, the boy. He looks up toward a light source, perhaps coming from an upper window. A viewer might wonder what has called his attention. Did the sound of his flute attact a bird to add its song to that of his flute playing? His face is partially in shadow, rather similar to the shadows cast by the violin and the flute hanging on the wall behind him. The walls are painted in somber grays with a touch of pale violet that play tonally off of the color of the boy’s coat, which is a subtle, velvety brown. The light focuses on his face, highlighted by that white ruff, on his hands, and on the beautiful instruments on the wall to the right side of his head. Leyster was known to be a music lover, and in this painting, she shows another such person, all alone with his instruments, piping out a tune for whoever or whatever wants to listen.

She is here in the middle of this piece called The Concert (1633). The man on the left is the man who would become her husband, Jan Miense Molenaer, whom she married in 1636. The one on the right is a friend of the couple. Her husband had a larger clientele than she did, though technically he was not as fine a painter. They shared a studio, which means they used the same models and props. This may explain why some of her work has been attributed to him. Leyster’s life became involved in managing properties, helping her husband in business and rearing five children. With a full plate of domestic duties, her art production declined.

In the 1640s, she did some wonderful drawings of tulips for a Tulip book. Obviously producing botanical-like drawings of tulips was much less expensive and time-consuming than setting up a scene with live models. It probably fitted better with her household duties, which included raising those five children.

Judith Leyster had recognition during her lifetime as a substantial and talented painter. However, after her death, her work was often attributed to her husband or to her old frenemy, Frans Hals. It is only in recent years when paintings were cleaned that her simple signature of JL with a line leading to a star became visible. That prompted art historians to begin to consider her work again. It is wonderful and encouraging to women artists to see her work come to light and be valued again. It is a treat for the art lover to be able to see and appreciate her painting, knowing that it is receiving its proper due.

There were, of course, other women painting in the 17th century. Probably the most important one was Artemisia Gentileschi, but that is a story TO BE CONTINUED…

Paintings used in this post are in public domain.

The sources used for this article come from my art history notes from a course in Golden Age Dutch Painting taught by Mme. Chantal Duqueroux, Université de Temps Libre, now retired lead historian of Avignon’s Petit Palais Museum.

“Judith Leyster,” The National Galley of Art nga.gov

“Judith Leyster, Biography and Legacy” theartstory.

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com. Her author page is at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.

It’s summer. It’s hot. You Need Wine Cocktails!

Something Cool to Drink. Photo credit to Alevision.co on unsplash.com

They are called “spiritless cocktails,” but that does not mean they are soulless. Wine cocktails have plenty of soul; they just don’t have hard liquor (spirits). As we get into this, let’s have a few house rules, shall we? First of all, never use any fine wine for a wine cocktail. That bottle of aged cabernet that your uncle gave you when you graduated college or to celebrate your wedding is not to be used for wine cocktails. It might indeed make the whole thing taste better, but the beauty of an aged wine (or for that matter any expensive wine) is its taste, and how it works with the food you serve with it. Do not lose that experience by mixing it with fruits and sodas, etc. Use table wine and other ordinary, inexpensive wines, only. What you add is going to make the flavor; the wine provides a delightful light alcohol lift. Okay, now we are ready to go.

EASY MIXERS

For those of you, who like me, want your kitchen to always look perfect, ever ready for that House and Gardens photo shoot, therefore, heaven forbide having to do anything messy like cooking, these are wine cocktails for you – er, us. First from the Basque region is a real original, the Xherry Kalimotxo (Cherry Calimocho). It is simply 6 ounces of cherry coke and 6 ounces of Rioja or Temperanillo wine. Saludo! If you are not into Spain, go to Venice and have a Bellini. Just blend chilled peaches until smooth and juicy, pour into a glass with some champagne or prosecco and say ciao bambino to the kitchen. If you are fond of sorbet, then put a couple of scoops of raspberry sorbet into an open mouth champagne glass and add rosé wine. Voilà!

Now a word about something that many may not know is a wine: Vermouth. Yes, friends, though we think of it being in cahoots with gin, it is actually a wine, a fortified wine. That means it has been infused with brandy and herbs and spices to aromatize it. It is strong, yes. You can drink it straight, if need be, as it was originally created for “medicinal purposes.” However, for our purposes, we will mix it with soda and add slices of orange or lemon or lime (your choice). Photo credit to Gaby Yerden on Unsplash.com

WINE SPRITZERS

Spritzer cocktail with white wine, mint and ice, decorated with spiral lemon zest

Yes, this is the all-time summer favorite. It is another that is simple enough not to muss up the kitchen. It is wine, ice, and whatever fruit twist you want. It could be a few strawberries, raspberries, or just twists of lemon zest. The idea of flavoring the spritzer with different types of berries can be handled in a unique way by using berry wines. Yes, you can get raspberry, blueberry, rhubarb wines and add and stir chilled soda, or prosecco if you want an extra zip on a holiday or weekend. Cranberry wine with orange slices and a touch of cinnamon plus club soda is nice even when it is not Thanksgiving or Christmas. Take a look at all the variations made by Emily Wines on Mixology 101, youtube.com.

LEAST BUT NOT LAST

Watermelon Wine Slushies from thecreativebite.com

Those of us who were around in the ’80s remember those horrible sweet canned spritzers, which some might call fortified soda pop. Some of us got around that by making slush or slushies. Slush was really just partially frozen wine. The trick was not to leave the bottle in the freezer too long, as you don’t want wine leaking out or exploding from the build up of ice. Of course, overly cold wine kills the taste, but forgive us, for we knew not what we were doing. However, these days there are all sorts of wonderful recipes for slushies made from of all kinds of chunky fruit, ice, and wine mixtures. One good place to consult is The Wine Slushie Guy who has a list of recipes thewineslushieguy.com

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

It is impossible to leave any discussion of wonderful summer wine cocktails without mentioning this international favorite, sangría. Americans discovered this in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair; however, the drink’s origins date back to about 200 BCE. In those days, wine was the drink that killed the harmful bacteria in the water. (By the way, the Ancient Egyptians used beer for the same purpose.) Mixing it with fresh fruits just gave it more variety and made it more healthful. The Internet is full of recipes for every kind of sangría possible. I give the link here for a delightful white wine recipe from The Spruce Eats. thespruceeats.com

For other recipes and websites with delicious summer wine drinks look at this post, “Monet’s Lily Ponds and The Last of the Summer Wine.” ofartandwine.com, and remember to always drink responsibly. Here’s to Summer!

Of Art and Wine affiliates with Bluehost.com and CellarsWineClub.com and may earn from qualifying purchases.

©marjorie vernelle 2021

COMING SOON: Artemisia Says, “Me Too,” plus Wine and Cheese.

Allegory of Art by Artemisia Gentileschi

The painting above is a self-portrait of 17th century Italian artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. Her story is one of fame, fortune, and misfortune. Yet, through it all she became the most famous of the women painters of the Baroque Era.

The Delirious Domestic Disorder of Jan Steen, and the Wine Trade.

The Dissolute Household by Jan Steen 1663-1664. Hover over image to magnify.

The Dissolute Household, yes, that is a good name for the scene in the painting above. Raucous merrymaking is going on, as well as a few other things. The buxom lady of the house sits with one foot on the crumpled page of an open book – so much for high culture. Near the book is an overturned backgammon board with a lute precariously propped up against the board, which stands on end. Nearby on the floor is the detritous of this gleeful binge of consumption, a broken wine bottle, what appears to be a rudimentary time piece, and a plate of ham being eyed by the family cat. The lady of the house meanwhile has her head tilted back in the direction of the maid who is pouring milady a fresh glass of wine. With the wife’s head turned away, the grinning hubby, plays fiddling fingers with the maid whose other hand pours milady’s drink. Another woman (a nanny?) sits nodding off at one end of the table, while her naughty charge tickles her neck from behind. Curtains from the window and a drape from the bed hang in a haphazard way having been flung up to get them out of the way. A young boy, standing by a large bowl of fruits, has his attention drawn to the window, where the hand of a man just outside is inserted as if to beg for food. Welcome to the embarrassment of riches!

The Dutch Golden Age, that glorious period in the 17th century (1609-1713) when Dutch traders had a combined fleet of 10,000 ships engaged in the spice trade, among other less savory trading activities, is known for its great painting. This is the age of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Claesz, and many other artists who all chronicled what art historian Simon Schama refers to in his book of the same name as “the embarrassment of riches” that was the wealth of the Netherlands. However, wealth has many sides, and one side seems to have a lot to do with the spoils of wealth and its temptations. That is where the paintings of Jan Steen come in.

*Card Players* The comfortable interior of a house with people playing cards by Jan Steen, 1660. Hover over image to magnify.

The house presented in this painting is so much better maintained than the one first presented here. However, there are still little treacheries and indiscretions going on. Front and center in bright light is a young woman whose stare invites us into the painting. She looks at the viewer with the calm ease of someone who knows she is going to win, as a man is tempting her erstwhile competitor, the young male card player, with a glass of wine. That young man gives his cards a pensive and rather nervous stare as he considers his bet. I’d say he might as well at least enjoy the wine, since the woman he is playing against seems to be the mistress of aces. She holds the ace of hearts in her left hand, the ace of clubs in her card hand, and has somehow gotten rid of the ace of spades, which lies on the floor. Meanwhile in a room at the back of this house, a man has his arms around the waist of a woman, perhaps to urge her to sit upon his lap. A woman dressed in black sits at the table but has her back turned to the viewer. She is completely engaged in what another woman is showing her, while a man (a Jan Steen self-portrait) regards what she is being shown. The family dog, normally a symbol of loyalty and protection, has gone to sleep on the floor, indicating that there is no fidelity or protection in that house regardless of how nice it looks.

Beware of Luxury by Jan Steen, 1663. Hover over image to magnify.

Here in another riotous household scene, once again we are in the land of plenty, as there is food on the table and on the floor, along with beer vessels, hats, books, and whatever else gets easily tossed aside. The animals, in this case a dog on the table and a pig that has come in from outside, scarf up what food they find, while the humans are engaged in all kinds of other things. The elder couple on the right consist of a man who is a Quaker, indicated here by the duck on his shoulder (quacker, Quaker), and a woman who is part of a Catholic lay order where the women take a vow of chastity. They are trying to dissuade the young couple at the center of the action from their wine-fueled lust. The young woman sits with a wine jug hanging loosely in one hand while she tickles the area behind the man’s knee with her fingers. One can’t help but notice that while her hair is properly covered, her dress is off the shoulder with a low cut bodice. A nanny is once again asleep, while a little boy tickles her neck, and the baby, who has thrown his bowl on the floor, looks like he is about to send the spoon in the same direction. The message, Beware of Luxury, is Steen’s cheeky way of showing people giving in to their temptations, while at the same time indicating moral disorder through the disorderly condition of the house. For more detail on this picture, see this quick video called In Case of Luxury – Beware. youtube.com

The many guises of Jan Steen, as a reveller in the *Dancing Couple*, and as a lute player. All done in what must have been very merry years, 1663-1665.

For a Protestant society in which black and white were the appropriate clothing colors of the day, Steen in some ways walked a fine line. Rembrandt got heavily critisized for painting himself hoisting up a huge stein of beer while Saskia, his wife, sat on his lap, both of them with huge grins. They were seen as bragging about their good fortune. Steen often puts himself into his paintings as one of the revelers (see paintings above), showing his own love of such things.

However, he always managed to tell a cautionary tale even as he engaged in gleefully exposing the underside of all that wealth. He even painted his self-portrait in a traditional way, showing himself clothed in black and white and looking very much like a respectable, discerning citizen (see portrait just above).

Steen could also tell quite a story in very subtle ways. The painting below is known as The Mayor of Delft or The Burgomaster of Delft and his Daughter. However, as you will hear if you click the link to the Rijksmuseum website, it was discovered that the man was really Steen’s neighbor, a wealthy merchant named Adolf Croeser and his daughter, Catharina. rijksmuseum.nl

The Burgomaster of Delft and His Daughter, by Jan Steen 1655. Hover over image to magnify.

There is a lot to unpack in this painting beyond the beauty of the way the people and the setting are represented. Simon Schama in his book, The Embarrasment of Riches, described by its publisher as a work where Schama “explores the mysterious contradictions of the Dutch nation that invented itself from the ground up” (penguinrandomhouse.com), talks about this painting. Schama points out that this wealthy gentleman has had himself painted sitting outside his fine house, with his daughter sporting the latest fashion, done in luxury materials. He looks down toward an elderly woman beggar who leans on a cane with a child (a grandson?) beside her. The key thing is the paper he holds in his hand. That would be her beggar’s permit. Yes, if a resident of a town was in need, that person must get a permit in order to ask for money from other residents in the town, as if being destitute was not already bad enough. Her hand is outstretched, and the wealthy man holds her permit casually in his hand as he considers whether he will contribute or not. Steen’s painting certainly shows off the man’s wealth and the fact that he at least considered being generous, since charity is a Christian virtue. However, it also allows the viewer to see there were hard times for people as well, as not everyone was so well off.

In another story showing the contradictions in their society, Schama talks about what he calls a children’s riot. This happened in the mid-17th century when the city fathers of Amsterdam, one of whom was Dr. Tulp (yes, the one Rembrandt painted in The Anatomy Lesson), decided that the little cookie dough, sugary dolls that were a favorite Chrismas treat for kids were really idolatry and should be banned. Well, throngs of hysterical children having meltdowns in the marketplace made them rethink their new law. They wisely decided that while the ban was still law, there would be no punishment. Contradictions upon contradictions, but what else can you say about a country that built itself on land reclaimed from the sea.

Jan Steen (1626-1679), who helped found the Guild of St Luke for the city of Leiden, along with another of the famous genre painter of the era, Gabriel Metsu, had quite a life. His career as a painter ran alongside his work often as a tavern owner, a job he took on when the art market was depressed. Through it all, he became one of the most famous genre painters, focusing on those uproarious scenes of daily life. He, in a humorous way, communicated the contradictions of the life he saw around him, as well as his own see-saw between being an artist and a barkeep. He showed himself to be not only a skilled portraitist, but someone who could do still life and city scenes all equally well and in rich vibrant colors. Throughout it all, Steen rolled with the punches, painting, playing the lute, laughing, and giving in to the joys of good drink, music, and dancing.

Paintings used in this post are all in public domain.

Reference works are Simon Schama’s The Embarrassment of Riches, the Rijksmuseum (see link above), and “Jan Havicksz Steen” from the Museo Thyssen, (museothyssen.org).

The Embarrasment of a Rich Wine Trade

Dutch Ships in a Calm Sea by Willem van de Velde, 1665. Rijksmuseum.nl Hover over image to magnify.

So what do you do if you are a tiny country, welded together from seven different small countries, mocked by one’s bigger neighbors with such names as the Low Countries or even today, the Netherlands (a moniker for somewhere out there in the nether world) when those “neighbors,” in this case Spain and Portugal, cut you off from being a trade and distribution center? Well, you go direct. That is exactly how the United East India and the Charted West India Companies got their start. The painting above shows Dutch ships for as far as the eye can see bringing in the trading treasures that made the period between 1609 and 1713 the Dutch Golden Age.

Antwerp had been the original European distribution center for all kinds of goods, and was the center of Dutch commerce for a long while. However, when the Spanish ruled the Netherlands, it combined with Portugal to punish the Dutch by only using Antwerp for some supplies. They began operating their distribution network out of Hamburg, Germany, cutting the Dutch out. Of course, the Spanish and the Dutch danced a deadly tango for about 80 years with Spain occupying the Dutch lands and being as repressive as possible. However, the Dutch fought back with the same iron will that they had used to reclaim the land they lived on from the sea. They started their own direct trade to areas outside of Europe. Among the things they traded was wine.

*Governors of the Wine Merchants Guild* by Ferdinand Bol, 1663. Hover over image to magnify.

The Dutch looked to France for Bordeaux and Burgundy, which greatly helped the development of the French wine industry. They took advantage of their location to deal in Rhine wines from Germany. They dealt in wines from Greece and in Marsala wine from Italy. To whom did they sell? Well, to the wine starved of England, Sweden, and the Baltics. They also shipped wines (and spirits) to the Far East, mostly to satisfy the demand of those colonials who had stationed themselves there. As for their own population, they brought in sweet Rhine wines. In fact the taste for sweet wines lingers today, as the Dutch population prefers sweeter white wines to red wines. Rieslings, known for levels of sweetness and the sweeter versions of Gewurtztraminer are popular wines there.

However, they were not above manipulating the fermentation process by adding sulphur to stall the process and keep more of the sweetness. This trick was applied during the distruptions of the 30 Years War. The tendency to intervene in the process of winemaking seems to have continued. It was highlighted in a 2016 review exposing all of the odd things that could be found in some Dutch wines. The article ends with a promotion of Balthazar, Handpicked Wines, Home Delivered, as a way of ensuring quality. (See “Wine in the Netherlands, Getting It Right” dutchreview.com

While beer and jenever (Dutch gin) are the drinks of choice along with brandies, there is a growing interest in wines and wine making. Of Art and Wine treated this growing phenomenon in the April 10, 2020, post, “Carel Fabritius’ Beloved Goldfinch and Netherlands Wine.” An article by Cathy Huyghe for Forbes Magazine in 2017 gives a good overview of what is going on there in terms of winemaking (forbes.com).

Still Life with Silverware and Lobster, a Banketje, or Banquet painting by Pieter Claesz, 1641 Hover over image to magnify.

So yes, the good times rolled for about 100 years. Those white Rhine wines worked mighty well with plates of seafood, as shown here in Claesz’ painting. That is still a good choice today, especially the dry versions of Gewurtztraminer. As for the painting, this Claesz painting itself has something of an overwhelming aspect to it, as the table is filled to overflowing with foods, silverware, the big roemer wine glass, and a knife trimmed with a satin ribbon. It is another portrait of that embarrassment of riches, which, like all life and the items on this table, balances on the edge of finality.

For more on the Dutch Golden Age boiled down to a manageable-sized article, “The Dutch Golden Age” on the Britannica website is a good reference. britannica.com

“The Dutch Wine Trade in the 17th Century” by Aaron Nix-Gomez gives a good overview. hogsheadwine.wordpress.com.

Other articles used for this secton are linked above.

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Coming Soon: A Woman Painting Against the Odds, plus Wine Cocktails.

Judith Leyster Self-Portrait, 1633

When the great master painters are spoken of, it takes getting to the 20th century before women artists get much mention. However, don’t be fooled. There were a few brave and consequential female painters back in the day. Of Art and Wine takes a look at one of the most notable ones from the 17th century, and in celebration of her courage and confidence (yes, it took that to do what she did), a look at wine cocktails.