How the Netherlands in the 17th Century portrayed gender inequality and different social classes
My teacher told me to correct this essay and in red are the instructions of what he is expecting me to do.
Please use APA format and send me all links used. I am attaching the painting I am focusing on but I have to focus more on my prompt which is How the Netherlands in the 17th Century portrayed gender inequality and different social classes and then use that research to analyze the picture.
my first draft was only a description of the painting now I have to do a new 8 page paper focusing on my topic and then describing what might be going on in the painting and relate it with the research done.
here is a link to the painitng I am working on: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.1152.html
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Alexia M. Paz
March 9, 2021
FA 410-A
Lady and Gentleman on Horseback by Aelbert Cuyp
The Lady and Gentleman on Horseback is a double portrait that was worked on by Dutch
artist, Aelbert Cuyp, between 1660 and 1665. This painting is found in the National Gallery of Art
in the Widener Collection. The painting portrays an interesting idea that has caught my attention
and led me to choose this painting for my research project. It focuses mainly on two individuals
sitting on a horseback and create two points I would like to focus on for my research. First, their
elegant outfits and accessories raises the question of what social class they belong to, and what
class during this time is usually involved in equestrianism. Second, the fact that the woman and
man are riding next to each other, points out an idea about gender roles. Ideally t Traditional
portrait conventions would position women riding behind or to the left of men, however, in this
painting the women form part of the center stage of this artwork as she rides next to the man. The
woman standing out indicates her high socioeconomic status.
Personally, I chose this artwork because of the idea of socioeconomic status and gender
roles that the work could be describing. Social status is a topic I constantly think about since I
come from a country where these social classes are strictly divided and can be easily identified.
Also, as a female, I know the struggle of always being looked at as less next to men and how hard
it is so stand out. Gender inequality is another issue seen in countries where I come from and the
movement for women equality is strong. After looking at this painting and noticing how the double
Commented [mt1]: check the assignment for your
revision: title page!
Commented [mt2]: I’m not so sure it raises a “question”:
both seem to firmly establish what class they are from.
Commented [mt3]: this is something you have to
establish with evidence
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portrait combine these two ideas, it caught my attention to do further research on the meaning and
importance of the painting focusing on the social class, attitudes, and gender roles that are seen in
Dutch culture through the people in the painting.
The composition of Cuyp’s Lady and Gentlemen on Horseback is a two-dimensional
painting on canvas. It is considered a double portrait since it is a representation of two people. In
the early 17th Century, the types and style of portraits were governed by conventions to
communicate status, identity, and attitudes. (p. 97) If we draw an imaginary line, or split the
painting in half in an axis, there seems to be two different scenarios going on. In other words, the
portrait shows symmetry and balance in the way the elements are arranged. It is like in the real
world; the closer the element is towards the edge, the heavier it becomes visually and the closer
an element is to the center, the lighter it becomes. This is exactly what we see in Cuyp’s portrait.
The components in the back are lighter since they are meant to be seen as far, and the components
in the front are meant to be closer to the audience, which is why they look heavier and become the
focus in the painting.
On the right half of the painting, we observe a couple looking straight to the audience riding
on two horses, which happen to be the centerpiece of the painting since they both outstand in size
and color. The couple is under a cloud, where no sky can be seen. The male character is riding on
a black horse, wearing a blonde wig which this trend in the 1700s meant that they came from an
upper class, or conservative status. He is wearing a brown, knee-length coat with a white neck
cloth and brown gloves.
The women next to him is riding a white horse, wearing a dark blue gown and a stylish cap
with a blue feather and a pearled necklace. She is sitting down on a brownish-red saddle with
designs on it. She is sitting sideways; with both legs on one side, facing the man. Both horses are
Commented [mt4]: remember to assume ME as your
audience.
Commented [mt5]: you need to cite which source in
addition to the page number
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wearing blue ribbons around their ears. The couple’s fancy garments point out that they come from
an upper class/higher status. However, not much is shown for us to know exactly who these people
are. This also leads to further research on equestrianism/horseback riding during this time period.
The tone of this half seems to be a medium-dark one; the colors are not that bright, and the
spectrum includes a variation of cool colors. We do see color contrast between the horses and the
outfits the people are wearing. The cloud above the couple creates shadow, however, there is a mix
of light. This mixture can be seen in the contrast between the people riding and the cloud above
them. The shadowy cloud makes the couple, and their colors pop up.
On the left half of the painting, three dogs are sniffing around a group of leaves. Having
the same dark tone, the green in the leaves is very dark. A little bit further behind, we see a man
who also happens to be wearing a wig, with a black hat on top of his head. He is wearing a green-
brown knee-length coat with a white neck cloth. He seems to be holding a stick with his left hand
and walking two dogs: holding the leashes together with his right hand.
Far back behind, we vaguely see two people riding horses in front of an old caste. I say old
because of the way it is built and its old, brown color. The two men in the back can be hardly seen,
however, once zoomed in, their garments are like what the rest of the people in the painting are
wearing.
My question is again, who are these people? And would they belong in the same social
class as the couple in the front. I would also like to know what building that is. Is it a castle? Is it
a historical building? Why was it included in the painting? It is also very interesting to think about
why the artist would include this background behind the couple. The painting being a portrait, the
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couple could have been the only subject matter in the painting and could have stood alone,
however, the author created this whole background behind them.
In this half of the portrait, we see the mix of the brownish color with the earth. The colors
of the animals are also in harmony with the colors of the environment. This creates a monotone
color scheme with brown and green colors. The sky is clearing up in this area, and light is shining
on top of the old building. The cloud seems to cover most of this part in the painting, which also
creates shadow.
Once we put the halves into perspective and join them together, the techniques are easier
to address throughout the portrait. It seems to have been painted with very thin and delicate lines.
The further the objects are in the painting; the more delicacy was used. There seems to be more
shadow and contour in the figures that are upfront. The outer shapes seem more detailed. We see
this in the people’s faces. The faces on the figures that are closer, we can outline them more.
Meaning, we can see more detailed their face structure and texture (their eyes, mouth, hair outline,
face shadow, the jaw lines, hair lines, etc…).
We also see this in the outline of their clothes. The lines in their coats, sleeves, hats,
jewelry, and gloves are neatly outlines for us to identify such objects and see the details within
them. If we zoom into the figures all the way in the back, we are not able to see these types of
lines.
The landscape itself also shows the use of these delicate lines. We see more texture on the
trees and plants that are in front, rather than the trees and building way back in the painting. We
also see this in the animals. The horses up in the front have more lines and shadow and detailed
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structure than the ones in the back. We can see (through lines) the hairs in their bodies, the shadow
in their legs, their eyes and nose, etc…). The farther the picture, the less texture we can see.
The fact that the figures upfront contain more detail, brings my question of why the artist
decided to include more detail on them and so little detail on the rest of the painting. I believe this
is way of pointing out the role the couple plays during this time period. The fact that their clothes
are so detailed and being the brightest colors in the painting brings to my attention that they are
indeed the subject matter of the piece. They play a role in the main idea of the artwork. This is
what I hope to discuss further on in my research. I am really interested on doing research during
this time period and be able to understand the portrait better. Any small detail such as the horses,
the outfits, the building, the position of the people, etc.… may form part of the idea of how the
portrait might be showing ideas on gender roles and socioeconomic status.
Many exhibitions during the 17th century feature collections that reflect on the different
socioeconomic classes of the Dutch Republic. The way the figures are dressed, their position, or
behavior gives us a glimpse of their social status. The fabric their clothes are made of, if they are
being served or serving, if they are riding a horse, and other arrangements that point out their social
classes.
The 17th century in the Dutch Republic was a period where social hierarchies were
becoming important. During this period, collections of artworks was a way to identify and project
a certain identity. During this time, wearing modest and high-necked costume was a way to portray
the rich citizens. The white fine linen uses in collars had become an icon during the Golden Age.
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Another idea that reflects towards social classes are the horses in the painting. The role of
horses was linked to the activities of agriculture, industry, trade, warfare, which were activities
linked to wealth.
In the 17th century, women became a common subject of Dutch art. Women were portrayed
doing basic housekeeping tasks such as cooking, sewing and cleaning, their roles during these
times. However, Dutch women shared power with man in ways that took notice and status and
wealth. That is, the foundation of Dutch women’s ability to decide how they administered their
property, the future of their children, and their own lives was cultural. he women of New
Netherland were unique in their time and space because their social status allowed them civic,
legal, and social involvement. This shows equality between both genders.
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References
https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-
packets/pdfs/dutch_painting
Ho, A. (2009). An invitation to compare: Frans van Mieris’s “Cloth Shop” in the context of early
modern art collecting. Renaissance Studies, 23(5), 694-717. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/24419648
Thomas de Keyser’s Equestrian Portrait of Pieter Schout. (2018, June 07). Retrieved from
The Heroic Housewives of the Dutch Republic -: College of Humanities. (2017, October 19).
Retrieved from https://humanities.byu.edu/the-heroic-housewives-of-the-dutch-republic/
Moran, S. J., & Pipkin, A. C. (Eds.). (2019). Women and Gender in the Early Modern Low
Countries, 1500 – 1750. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004391352
Turnbull, A. (2010). The Horse in Landscape: Animals, Grooming, Labour and the City in the
Seventeenth-Century Netherlands. Retrieved from http://shiftjournal.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/11/turnbull
Commented [mt6]: this needs a lot of work. most of
these are missing information.
https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-packets/pdfs/dutch_painting
https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-packets/pdfs/dutch_painting
http://www.jstor.org/stable/24419648
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004391352
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Alexia,
This is more like a revision of step 2 than it is what was required for step 3. Please be sure to read the
directions, and play the recording from the last mandatory Zoom meeting that you missed. Step 3 is the
first draft of a new essay, where you research the topic you defined in step 2 and use that research to
analyze your picture, presenting the evidence and drawing conclusions. You will need to use your
“revision” as a draft, starting from the ground up. By not following directions, you missed an
opportunity to get my feedback on your research.
It doesn’t look you have spent any time on the MU library catalog or its databases to identify sources;
you are paying for this so you should avail yourself of it.
You need to establish norms and traditions for double portraits, both on horseback and off. for
equestrian portraits. You will want to see if there is a convention for which side of the make the woman
is placed, and whether she is abreast of behind him. Stick to the Netherlands; avoid images of royalty
since that’s a wholly different situation; also avoid pendants (pairs); you want them both in one frame.
Think of search terms you can use on Jstor, Art and Architecture Index, and the MU library catalog to see
what scholarship exists on this; so far you have only been searching the web, which is limiting your
results. On JStor, Cuyp + portraits brought up over 1500 sources; on page 1 was an essay by Loughman;
cuyp + equestrian portrait brought up another by Sutton. On the MU catalog,title: cuyp brought up
sources; the exhibition catalogue from the NGA is available as a free download from the NGA Website.
dutch + portraiture brought up some books like Slive’s survey of 17c Dutch painting; also Woodall on
portraiture; Berger on Dutch group portraits (2 is still a group); Adams 2009; Winckel on dress and
meaning in Rembrandt (may have good info for you). It also brought up a book called Rembrandt,
Rubens, and the art of their time : recent perspectives: it has an essay by Kettering, “Gender issues in
seventeenth-century Dutch portraiture: a new look.” You list a web source on De Keyser; look for books;
also for books/essays on Hals.
The bottom line is that you need to start from scratch after reading the instructions much more carefully
and playing the recording on Canvas. If you do not follow the directions, your grade will be lower than a
D.