New Research Reveals Van Gogh's Debt to Dutch Old Masters
In the Oud Holland: Journal for Art of the Low Countries, a study reveals Vincent van Gogh's deep respect for 17th-century Dutch artists such as Vermeer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Hals, Van Ruisdael, and Van Goyen. Art historian Elmer Kolfin points out that Van Gogh encountered only three works by Vermeer—View of Delft, The Lacemaker, and Woman in Blue Reading a Letter—but was inspired by Vermeer’s color choices, as he shared in a letter to his brother Theo in September 1888. During that same month, he created The Yellow House. Teio Meedendorp examines Rubens's impact on Van Gogh during his stay in Antwerp from 1885 to 1886. Additionally, Alison McQueen notes Van Gogh's admiration for Rembrandt, emphasizing their shared practice of self-portraiture. In September 1889, he commended Rembrandt in a letter to his sister Wil.
Key facts
- Oud Holland journal publishes first comprehensive account of Van Gogh's admiration for 17th-century Dutch masters.
- Van Gogh saw only three Vermeer paintings in person: View of Delft, The Lacemaker, and Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.
- Van Gogh's September 1888 letter to Theo compares Arles's sky to Vermeer's celestial blues and yellows.
- Van Gogh painted The Yellow House in September 1888 under a deep-blue sky.
- Rubens influenced Van Gogh during his three-month stay in Antwerp in 1885-86.
- Van Gogh painted three portraits of female sex workers in Antwerp, including Head of a Woman with a Scarlet Bow.
- Rembrandt painted over 40 self-portraits; Van Gogh completed 35.
- Van Gogh praised Rembrandt in a September 1889 letter to his sister Wil while working on two self-portraits.
Entities
Artists
- Vincent van Gogh
- Johannes Vermeer
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Rembrandt van Rijn
- Frans Hals
- Jacob van Ruisdael
- Jan van Goyen
- Elmer Kolfin
- Teio Meedendorp
- Alison McQueen
- Christopher Atkins
- Iris Louwersheimer
- Dien Bos
- Armand Guillaumin
Institutions
- Oud Holland: Journal for Art of the Low Countries
- University of Amsterdam
- Van Gogh Museum
- McMaster University
- Mauritshuis
- Louvre
- Rijksmuseum
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
- Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
- Wallraf-Richartz Museum
- Musée d'Orsay
- National Gallery of Art
Locations
- Netherlands
- Delft
- The Hague
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Arles
- France
- Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
- Dresden
- Germany
- Cologne
- Washington, DC
- United States
- Ontario
- Canada