Saturday, January 15, 2011

Dutch Masters ...

I'm certain Rembrandt had no clue that his 1662 portrait of textile guild members would remain part of contemporary culture for almost 350 years.


The painting is actually entitled, 'De Staalmeesters,' but is more often referenced as the 'Dutch Masters' (in large part due to the cigar of the same name using the image for marketing purposes.) But, Rembrandt is considered one of the actual Dutch Masters, a group of prolific artists who took art from primarily religious paintings (since it was banned during the era of Calvinism) to scenes of everyday life and portraiture in the 17th century.

Who would have guessed that part of Rembrandt's enduring legacy would serve as inspiration for contemporary artists? I thought it might be fun to share some of what critics consider to be some of the most outstanding homages ...



Above and below by Anthony Falbo. His pieces have been collected by a variety of galleries and museums throughout the country and in many of the wealthiest private collections all over the world.




1960s Pop Art psychedelic interpretation (below) by Detroit artist Ron Rae.


Artist Larry Rivers took the Dutch Masters cigar imagery to critical acclaim with his 1991 painting 'Dutch Masters' (below left). The painter, printmaker, sculpter and poet left a legacy of figurative drawings extracted from his family life and everyday surroundings.


(Above right) This clever necklace appears to have been made by manipulating Rembrandt's images and affixing them to guitar picks and coating with a laquer finish. What a statement this necklace would make! Unfortunately, I can no longer find the image on the Etsy site where I first located it.


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