Jan Steen
January Havickszoon Steen (* 1626 in Leiden; buried February 3, 1679 in Leiden ) was a Dutch painter, a master of Dutch genre painting. He worked in the era of the Golden Age of the Netherlands, a hundred or year-long economic and cultural heyday in the 17th century, originated in the countless masterpieces of painting.
Life
Jan Steen was born around 1625/1626 as the son of a brewer in Leiden, he was also a painter and host. He was a pupil of the German painter Nicolaus weavers in Utrecht and of Adriaen van Ostade in Haarlem, a painter of rural scenes. Also by Dirck Hals, he received his painterly education. In 1646 he came to the University of Leiden. 1648 Jan Steen was a co-founder of the Sint Lucas Guild of painters in Leiden. On October 3, 1649 he married Margriet ( " Grietje "), a daughter of the landscape painter Jan van Goyen. He became his assistant and pulled out a well at his home in The Hague. Here he worked until 1653. From this marriage the following children are known: Thadaeus, baptized in the Catholic Church in the Old Molstraat The Hague on February 6, 1651; Eva, baptized in the same church on 12 December 1653rd From Cornelis, Catherine and John the dates of birth are unknown. From 1654 headed Steen in Delft, the brewery " De Roscam ", but without much success. From 1654 to about 1656 he lived again in Leiden. After that he lived from 1656/1657 bis 1660 in Warmond. From about 1660 bis 1669/70 Steen was again active in Haarlem. During this time he was particularly productive. He also operated a tavern. 1669 his wife died, in 1670 his father. 1670 or 1673 he married Maria van Egmont, the widow of the neighboring bookseller Herculens, with whom he had two children. From now on, Jan Steen lived for the rest of his life again in Leiden. In 1672 he received permission to manage a tavern in Leiden. 1674 was Jan Steen president of the Sint Lucas Guild. He was buried February 3, 1679 in the grave of the family in the Pieterskerk in Leiden.
Work
Steen was as witty and humorous Dutch genre painter, who did not hesitate even a sharp social satire. He painted biblical representations in immoral figurative, sometimes humorous view ( For example: Samson among the Philistines, Repudiation of Hagar and Wedding at Cana ) but mostly scenes from the middle and lower middle classes, in which he, great subtlety and variety of characteristics with coarse to connect exuberant, often grotesque humor knew. He put his figure- rich representations often a moral tendency or put through it a proverb or a general truth figuratively dar.
He is also known for his mastery of light and attention to detail, which is particularly evident in the drawn textiles. Some of his works are characterized by the fine tuning of colors and masterful treatment of chiaroscuro.
Versatile formed, interested and full of humor, he created scenes of the Dutch national life, family representations, humorous children's pictures, landscapes and portraits, he painted lively tavern scenes and illustrated proverbs and allegories. Steen has produced well over 800 images, of which about 350 are still preserved and known. Some of his works are on display in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, such as the St. Nicholas Festival, the parrot cage, the sick lady with the doctor, a dance lesson and a representation of the proverb " As the old have sung, so the boys are singing ". Other well-known works are: the menagerie and the age, the signing of the marriage contract, the bean feast (one image to the custom of the bean king celebration ), the dispute in the game, the inn garden and the wedding.