The Procuress happily points to the smart young man, presumably a customer who quite visibly holds his purse in his left hand. With his other hand he gestures towards the girls lute , while the girl too , her décolletage roguishly displayed by the candlelight , points towards her instrument. The strong emphasis laid on the lute suggests that the instrument here has the more vulgar, and very common, significance of vagina . (The Dutch word 'luit' can mean either) Under an elegant veil , the painting thus illustrates - and by implication - condemns illicit love. This painting is an excellent example of van Honthorst's familiar devise: placing a silhouetted figure in the foreground....Gerrit van Honthorst was a leading member of the 'Utrecht' school influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio. He was born in Utrecht (1590) as the son of a textile painter . His younger brother Willem also became a painter . Van Honthorst was apprenticed to Abraham Bloemaert, the most celebrated master in Utrecht. He went to Italy around 1610-1615 when Caravaggio's influence there was at its height. In Italy, van Honthorst aquired the nickname 'Gherdo delle Notte', because his figures are often portraid in the darkness of night.
About Me
- Girodet
- " Every day we should hear at least one good song , read one good poem , see one exquisite picture , and , if possible , speak a few sensible words . " Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "
Thursday, 7 June 2012
' The Procuress' Gerrit van Honthorst , Dutch (1590-1656) Oil on panel , 1625 . Centraal Museum , Utrecht ..
The Procuress happily points to the smart young man, presumably a customer who quite visibly holds his purse in his left hand. With his other hand he gestures towards the girls lute , while the girl too , her décolletage roguishly displayed by the candlelight , points towards her instrument. The strong emphasis laid on the lute suggests that the instrument here has the more vulgar, and very common, significance of vagina . (The Dutch word 'luit' can mean either) Under an elegant veil , the painting thus illustrates - and by implication - condemns illicit love. This painting is an excellent example of van Honthorst's familiar devise: placing a silhouetted figure in the foreground....Gerrit van Honthorst was a leading member of the 'Utrecht' school influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio. He was born in Utrecht (1590) as the son of a textile painter . His younger brother Willem also became a painter . Van Honthorst was apprenticed to Abraham Bloemaert, the most celebrated master in Utrecht. He went to Italy around 1610-1615 when Caravaggio's influence there was at its height. In Italy, van Honthorst aquired the nickname 'Gherdo delle Notte', because his figures are often portraid in the darkness of night.
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