Favorite Paintings

[donnie]

A landscape by the great pianist Sviatoslav Richter was a painter on the side.

I love how a simple scribbled brush stoke or two can be made to suggest so much in the hands of an innovative artist.

[Kitty]

That looks like kanji symbols to me!

[donnie]

Yes, now you mention it, it does rather, doesn’t it?

[donnie]

A painting of the settlement of Pernambuco in colonial Brazil by Frans Post, ca. 1637-44, Museu nacional de Belas Artes, Rio.

Doesn't this look like a place it would be enchanting to be in?

[Kitty]

It does evoke a sense of tranquility!

[donnie]

One of my favorites: A Young Woman Playing a Harpsichord by the Dutch artist Jan Steen, painted probably 1659. It hangs in the National Gallery in London.

A reproduction of this one is in an old music book of mine. I hadn't noticed what appears to be a tear above the man's head (which couldn't be, because it's oil painted on a oak panel), but on looking at it more closely, it appears to be a beaded decorative chain of some sort (see detail).

Also notice the delicate curls on the woman's head in the detail. And notice the hair on her scalp. Is it possible to get hair pulled back that tight? Or do you think they deliberately thinned it some way to get that effect?

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[Kitty]

but on looking at it more closely, it appears to be a beaded decorative chain of some sort (see detail).

I think this is the trim of a sideways-worn hat. You can see a bit of a gold tuft on the right.

[donnie]

I think this is the trim of a sideways-worn hat. You can see a bit of a gold tuft on the right.

You’re right! I see it now.

Another couple of observations: I always thought the massive turned leg on this harpsichord seemed strange on an instrument with such a slender, delicate sound. Most of the harpsichords I’ve seen were much more slightly built. Also, the boy with the lute in the background: I’ve always imagined him being a servant bringing the lute for the gentleman to play in duet with the lady.

[Kitty]

These are the fullest observations I could find on the interwebs about this painting. Some interesting info here.
Full name of painting -- A Young Woman Playing a Harpsichord to a Young Man

In a dark interior framed by a stone arch, an elegantly dressed young woman plays a harpsichord for the man leaning on the instrument. Music is often related to love in Dutch paintings, but in contrast to other genre scenes of music making the couple don‘t appear to be flirting. The young woman is concentrating on her sheet of music, and the man only dares to glance coyly towards his companion.The Latin inscriptions on the instrument provide a witty and ironic commentary and identify this as a scene of courtship. The words ‘SOLI DEO GLORIA’ (’Glory to God alone‘) appear below the keys, implying that the young woman is playing solely for the glory of God. Her lowered gaze and upright posture express dignity and emotional restraint. But the inscription on the open lid reads ‘ACTA VIRUM PROBANT’ (’actions prove the man‘): the young woman’s admirer, slouching over the instrument, is about to take more active steps. Through the open door in the right background we can see a pageboy approaching, carrying a theorbo (a large type of lute). The man will soon try to charm the woman by suggesting an intimate duet, which was at the time a common metaphor for two people joined in harmonious love.The harpsichord was the largest stringed keyboard instrument in use from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, and the one depicted here was probably painted after an existing model. Common examples like this one were decorated with patterned paper with printed mottoes and biblical quotations. A similar design of seahorses and arabesque patterns above the keyboard can be found in Johannes Vermeer’s Lady at a Virginal (Royal Collection). The painted instruments were probably inspired by the ones built by the famous Ruckers workshop in Antwerp.As well as demonstrating his wit here, Jan Steen has also proven his mastery in rendering different materials; the surfaces of the woven tapestry hanging in the background and the bright, shiny satin of the women’s skirt and bodice are especially noteworthy. By employing the device of the painted stone arch that frames the scene and focuses the viewer’s attention, we are made to feel as if we are spying on the couple.Steen wrote his own name just above the keyboard of the harpsichord, typically where the instrument maker would have signed his work. The inscription also bears the date the painting was made. The last two numbers are no longer legible to the naked eye, but under the microscope the last number can be read as ’9'. Stylistic similarities with other paintings by Steen from around the same time seem to confirm that the work was painted in 1659, during the short period when the artist lived in Warmond, a village north of Leiden.This was the first painting by Jan Steen to enter the National Gallery’s collection, when in 1871 it was bought with the rest of the collection of Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850), former prime minister and trustee of the Gallery.

Source:
https://kultura.art/artworks/9956/a-you ... -young-man

[donnie]

Wonderful! Thanks for that information.

I'm also guessing from the appearance of it, that this painting has darkened considerably and that a cleaning might reveal a lot more detail. I wonder if it's been subjected to old varnish removal.