Artist Spotlight: The Night School - Gerard Dou

 Although my love for art has predominantly been early Italian Renaissance art, I have developed a deep appreciation recently for the Dutch classics. Today I want to share with you one particular artist, and in fact, one particular paintings of his - The Night School (sometimes called An Evening School) by Gerard Dou. 

Source

This painting is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The information I am going to share with you about Dou also comes from the Rijksmuseum website.

Dou was born in 1613 in a family of glass engravers. However, when he was only fifteen years old he was apprenticed to Rembrandt where he learnt the technique of chiaroscuro  for which he is renowned. 

The reason I chose this painting to share with you was because of that technique. This painting spoke to me with its darkness and four points of light. Our family has been going through a dark time this last week and I have been trying hard to keep some points of light in my thoughts and my heart. Although the children in the painting are at school, that also speaks to me of hope. They are unable to learn by the light of day - for whatever reason - but they cling to the hope of learning and continue their studies by candle and lantern light. 

I'm not sure if Dou meant for this painting to be a beacon of light to those who view it, but to me that is what it represents. Pope Francis says:

Hope opens new horizons, making us capable of

dreaming what is not even imaginable.

It is exactly that opening of new horizons that Dou's painting speaks of to me. Four tiny points of light that are guiding the way for at least seven little students and one teacher. Candlelight, one of the oldest forms of light, yet often so fragile and delicate; only a whisper can blow it out. These children would know that and would work slowly, quietly and carefully so as not to extinguish their candles, which represent to them, hope and an opportunity to dream what is not even imaginable.

I hope you have enjoyed Dou's classic work, The Night School. I hope that there continues to be flickering points of hope in your life, whatever you may be going through and I want to thank you for stopping by and supporting this little blog.