The Little Street: The Neighborhood in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Culture

In the 17th century, Dutch cities were organized around neighborhoods, which had their own regulations, administrators, social networks, events, and diverse populations. Linda Stone-Ferrier argues that this sense of community contributed to the demand for pictures portraying aspects of Dutch culture, such as those by Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch, which reinforced the role and values of the neighborhood. Stone-Ferrier's interpretations of seventeenth-century Dutch painting challenge existing paradigms in Dutch art history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 02 August 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

The neighborhood played a crucial role in shaping seventeenth-century Dutch painting and culture. In Dutch cities, neighborhoods were distinct entities with their own set of regulations, administrators, social networks, events, and diverse populations of residents. Linda Stone-Ferrier argues that this sense of community contributed to the steady demand for paintings that captured the essence of this culture. Artists like Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch, among others, produced works that reinforced the role and values of the neighborhood. Stone-Ferrier's analysis of these paintings, through close readings of works by Steen, De Hooch, Gerrit Dou, Gabriel Metsu, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Johannes Vermeer, explores social history, urban studies, anthropology, and women's studies. Her fresh interpretations of seventeenth-century Dutch painting across genres, such as scenes of streets, domesticity, professions, and festivity, challenge existing paradigms in Dutch art history.

Dimension: 279 x 216 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300259117