Page 24 - Contemporary Art and Old Masters

Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Oil on panel, 220 x 389 cm,
1500 – 1505 © Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado

DUTCH PAINTING place of honour in this gallery is reserved for Judith at
the Banquet of Holofernes by Rembrandt. Displayed
Dutch painting can be defined as the art produced alongside it are works by other leading exponents of
in the seven Northern Provinces which became a history painting such as Joachim Wtewael, Salomon de
de facto new sovereign state known as the United Bray, Matthias Stom and Leonaert Bramer. The genre
Provinces following the signing of the Union of Utrecht of still life is represented by one of the masterpieces
in 1579. Amsterdam was the economic motor of this of the collection, Dead Cockerel, one of the few still
new nation. lifes now accepted as autograph by Gabriel Metsu.

In their desire to distance themselves from the It is shown alongside important works by Pieter
Southern Low Countries, which remained under Claesz, Willem Claesz and Heda. Landscapes include
Spanish rule, Dutch painters opted to move away from notable examples of the most typically Dutch
Italian idealism and associate themselves with the typologies, such as marine views, winter landscapes
northern tradition. and the so-called Italianate landscape.
As a result their work is imbued with a naturalism
and lifelikeness evident in both the treatment of the THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS BY BOSCH IS
traditional pictorial genres and the rise of others “REUNITED” WITH VISITORS AT THE MUSEO DEL PRADO
considered minor ones in Italian art theory, such as
landscape, still life and genre painting. Room 56 A of the Villanueva Building, devoted to
Jheronimus Bosch, has reopened. Visitors can now see a
For historical reasons the Museo del Prado’s collection new display that offers a clearer vision of the works and
of Dutch paintings is smaller than the Flemish one. an optimal use of space. The gallery is also enhanced
Nonetheless, and despite some major gaps, it has with a professional monitor that presents an animated
notably representative works that are now hung in sequence of surprising details of the works, some shown
Room 76 in a selection that includes history painting up to 12 times their original size.
by some of the most important representatives of this The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch is “reunited”
school, still lifes, landscapes and genre scenes. The with visitors at the Museo del Prado Room 56 A of the

24 WORLD of ART