Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis at the DeYoung

Girl With the Pearl Earring - Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis now at the deYoung Museum through June 2, 2013

I needed to see the paintings one more time before the show closes.  The first time I went, I was casually going through the galleries, admiring the landscapes and still life paintings and then, I saw the Rembrandt portrait.  I couldn't get past this to see the star of the show for a while.  

"Portrait of Rembrandt with a Gorget" 1629
studio copy

When I finally made it to see "The Girl", I liked it, thought it beautiful but went back to see the Rembrandt portrait.  It is interesting that it is a "studio copy" therefore it is not attributed to Rembrandt but most likely done by one of his gifted students, Gerrit Dou.  It was common for students to copy the original done by the master as part of their training.  It is still a beautiful painting and I would love to see the original which is in Nuremberg, Germany.  I still prefered it to "The Girl".

There were however, other paintings attributed to Rembrandt in the same room.

"Portrait of an elderly Man"  1667
Rembrandt van Rijn

A wonderful depiction of a well fed man, reddish in face, perhaps fond of the drink, liverish and slightly disheveled.  The details are astonishing.

"Tronie of a Man with a Feathered Beret" 1635-1640
Rembrandt van Rijn

I like the pose of this portrait with the subject looking over his right shoulder, with an annoyed expression.

"Susanna and her Elders" 1636
Rembrandt van Rijn

Eventhough the figure is small, Rembrandt manages to paint great detail in the face.  There is a lot of texture and the face leering at Susanna is creepy.  

A lovely painting though I wished the composition was a little tighter, giving it a more intimate feel.

"The Girl With the Pearl Earring"
Johannes Vermeer

I finally made it to see the "The Girl" and yes, it is a superbly lovely painting with a glow from within.  I loved that he used ultramarine blue pigment which must have been very expensive.  It is interesting that the reproductions of this image including on candy bars are quite good.  They appear to be rather accurate but I've never seen a good reproduction of a Rembrandt.  It could be that Rembrandt paintings have  much texture which becomes part of the viewing of the pieces.  Vermeer used a light touch resulting in a final, flawlessly smooth finish.

A surprise for me was the Frans Hals marriage portraits because they look serious, staid, and humorless.

"Portrait of Aletta Haneman" 1625
Franz Hals

"Portrait of Jacob Olycan" 1625
Frans Hals

This is to be compared to the Frans Hals that I am used to seeing....

 

"The Merry Drinker"

The subjects look like they are having a great time,  and in at least one case, was three sheets to the wind.

And finally, a lovely quiet painting, full of warmth, peace and solitude.

"The Old Lacemaker" 1655
Nicholaes Maes

I had a ticket for 10 am which seemed perfect, not too many people but by the time I left, close to 11 am, it got very crowded in the galleries.  Show is through June 2, 2013.