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.
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.)
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.
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!
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
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
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!
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©marjorie vernelle 2021
COMING SOON: Artemisia Says, “Me Too,” plus Wine and Cheese.
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.