Baroque Nationalism: Dutch Seascapes, Landscapes and Maps

Baroque Nationalism:
Dutch Seascapes,
Landscapes, and Maps
Tiana Barnard, Margo Campbell
Joshua Lee, and Iyesha van den Haak
Irvine Valley College
Art History Survey II: Western

History
• The Baroque era was a period of great change. During this time, the
European regions went through religious dispersion. The Christian
religion separated into two different groups, the Catholics and the
Protestants. The conflicts extended to the battlefield and the arts.
The Catholics and Protestants tried to convert people using art as a
media tool.
• The seventeenth century is referred to as the Golden Age of the
Dutch, because it is a time of religious tolerance and economic
success. The Dutch people of the seventeenth century belonged to a
republic governed by its citizens at a time when its neighbors;
Germany, France, and England were still ruled by monarchs.
Although the long battle for freedom from Spain was won in 1609, it
was not officially recognized by Spain until 1648. The Dutch Republic
had to be continually defended and the maritime fleet grew to be the
leading sea power of the seventeenth century.

Along with this new political independence came economic
independence. Amsterdam had become a major port in the
world. The existence of the new Dutch Republic as an
independent power relied on both the military and merchant
shipping. Trading and shipping were the main generators of
wealth and the emergence of the Vereenigde Oostindische
Compagnie (VOC/Dutch East Indies Trading Company) helped
to establish Amsterdam as the port at the center of world trade.
It eventually shifted to Rotterdam and Rotterdam continues to
this day to be the largest and busiest port in the world.

Cultural Influences
• Since the Dutch were an independent republic and a primarily
Protestant country, they lost two major art patrons: the church
and the royal family. A shift occurred and middle and upper
class society became the new art patrons. The Dutch had a
streak of success. They had mercenaries for protection and a
vast wealth through commerce and trade. Due to the need for
arable farmland, the Dutch overcame the restrictions of being
below sea level which resulted in submerged terrain and
massive swamplands. Through the use of canals, dikes, and
mills they lowered the water levels and gained the possibility of
increased farmland.
• As a result of increased trade and commerce, the Dutch
became the major seafaring merchants of the Golden Age. This
further encouraged pride and passion among the citizens for
their land, and created Dutch Nationalism. This was the first
existing nationalistic community in the Baroque period. The
landscape paintings complemented their technological
accomplishments, whereas the seascape paintings glorified
their military victories and trade.

The Dutch nation was going through a time of strong and adamant
national identity, and cartographers of the time, were reflecting this in the
design of Leo Belgicus Maps. These were maps fashioned in the shape of a
lion. The lion was already a national icon used on the coat of arms and
military armor to symbolize their national pride and power. While Nicolas
Visscher was the first cartographer to publish such a map, it became
extremely popular throughout the cartographic community. There are
three variations in which the lion inspired maps are depicted; in the first
the lion is facing right with its right paw raised, second the lion is sitting
facing left, and the third variation is called the Leo Hollandicus, which only
shows the layout of Holland.

Subject
&
Style
• It is clear when browsing a selection of Dutch 17 th century paintings,
that there are favorable subjects. One of the most important
subjects of this time is landscape. The surge of landscape popularity
was a direct result of the newfound independence of the Dutch
Republic. The Dutch were interested in paintings of landscapes
occurring in their geographic area because they were proud of their
urbanization. Landscapes done during this time are often depicted
with excruciating detail. The Dutch were concerned with visually
describing everything in their paintings. In painting landscapes,
they sought to accurately depict every detail of the terrain. The
Dutch invented the panoramic view, which extended the traditional
landscape view, and allowed painters to create a wider and more
unhindered composition.

• Dutch seascape painting was usually focused on oversea
battles with Spain and had a tendency to depict a lot of drama.
The artists’ goals were to portray the Dutch heroically by
displaying their struggle and fight for freedom.
• Maps of their homeland were very popular to the Dutch, but
there were many other countries that the Dutch cartographers
mapped. Hessel Gerritsz documented the geography of
Australia and the Indonesian Islands. Not only were the maps
some of the best printed by printing houses in Amsterdam,
they were also included in works of art, serving as
backgrounds.

Materials & Processes
• The materials used by the painters in the Dutch Baroque
period were most likely unified. They used oil paint possibly
with hog hair brushes. Artists employed the use of a wooden
palette as a surface for mixing paint. The canvases had to be
manually stretched, attached to a wooden frame, and then
placed on an easel.
• Painting processes varied. Artists often used a cartoon to
help visualize their final product.

• There are multiples ways a cartographer
can construct a map. The most common one used by the Dutch
was called Copperplate Engraving. The necessary tools are: a burin
which is a metal tool with a sharp point to engrave, a copper plate
that is an engraved template of the map, ink, a roller, paper, and a
rolling press which compresses the copper plate with ink to ensure
that the ink transfers onto the paper. The process includes
engraving the plate with the burin and then applying ink into the
grooves. The plate is then laid onto the paper and passed through
a rolling press to completely transfer the ink to the paper.

Artistic Examples
View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds
Jacob Van Ruisdael,
1660
By Tiana Barnard
Battle of Gibraltar /De Zeeslag bij Gibraltar
Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen
1621
By Iyesha van den Haak
The Maas at Dordrecht
Aelbert Cuyp
1650
By Joshua Lee
Leo Hollandicus
Nicolas Visscher
1648
By Margo Campbell

View of Haarlem
with Bleaching
Grounds
Jacob Van Ruisdael

View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds
Tiana Barnard
View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds painted by Jacob Van
Ruisdael in 1660, is a wonderful example of the style of landscape
painting that was emerging in the Dutch 17th century. This style
evolved out of the Dutch independence, which inspired a new kind of
Nationalism that left the Dutch full of pride and respect for their
accomplishments.
As one of the most important artists of his time, Ruisdael beautifully
depicts the glory and pride of the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic.
The sky in View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds takes up the
majority of the canvas, which was a popular technique employed at
the time. Ruisdael not only paints a view of Haarlem, which was an
important city in the Dutch Republic, but he also includes the
bleaching grounds which were a vital part of the country’s successful
linen industry. Including the bleaching grounds speaks to the
economic success of the Dutch, while the great expanse of the
landscape speaks to their agricultural developments, and the
buildings in the distance allude to the pride they felt as a result of
their urbanization.

Ruisdael is visually describing every aspect of the landscape in
an exquisite manner. The artist painted people working in the
bleaching fields, but they are small in comparison to the
landscape surrounding them, which tells the viewer that this
work is not just about the figures. Ruisdael did not paint a
specific subject occupying the center of the canvas, so when the
viewer looks at the work it is not clear where their eyes should
be focused. Although there is a church in the painting, it is not
the focal point of the picture, it’s merely addressed as part of the
landscape.
The purpose of this painting is to offer a representation of the
Dutch environment of the time, not focus on a single subject.
Ruisdael painted Dutch Baroque landscapes with a sincerity
and delicateness that was unique among his peers. As a result
of his ingenuity, his paintings will forever be a reminder of the
allegiance and spirit of the Golden Age of the Dutch.

Battle of Gibraltar /De Zeeslag bij Gibraltar
Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen c. 1621
Oil on canvas 137.5 x 188 cm

Battle of Gibraltar
Iyesha van den Haak
On 25 April 1607, thirty Dutch ships under the leadership of Admiral
Jacob van Heemskerck surprised the anchored Spanish fleet and
within four hours the entire Spanish fleet was destroyed. The Spanish
had been threatening the Dutch trade routes and this proved to be the
first great victory of the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) for the Dutch.
Four thousand Spaniards and a hundred Dutchmen were killed along
with the Dutch and Spanish Admirals.
The painting depicts the triumph of the victory with the explosion of
the Spanish flagship. Spaniards are being blown from their ship, body
parts are flying in the air, and the sea is turning red from the blood.
The enemy is Catholic which is evident from the falling angel and
Virgin Mary that are protective ornaments on the ship.
The Dutch and Spanish ships are shown converging at the center of
the image where the Spanish flagship is portrayed in quick and
immediate brush strokes. The color palette is cool blues and grays for
the sky and sea. There are intense reds, oranges, and yellows
indicating the heat of the flames on the ship and deep crimson for the
blood mixing with the water.

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen paid very careful attention to detail such
as the uniforms and weapons used. He understood the subject matter.
He had been a sailor before he became a painter. His use of a high
perspective and wide angle allowed for more detail in the scene.
Dutch seascape painting was mainly maritime accounts of famous
battles or displays of the powerful and glorious fleets. The emergence
in the 17th century of seascape painting functioned as important
public monuments that were often commissioned by town councils or
admiralty colleges. The predominately Protestant Dutch population
preferred paintings that expressed pride in their country and images
that depicted their independence from Spain.
Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom is considered to be the father of Dutch
Maritime painting. He belonged to the Guild of St. Luke of Haarlem
and was able to develop his style with out being dictated to by the
church or aristocracy. Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, also a citizen of
Haarlem, was a student of Vroom.
Rembrandt van Rijn, the great Dutch Master of portraits also
contributed to Dutch seascape painting. Although he painted only one
known seascape, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee it has become part of
one of the biggest museum heists in history. It was in the collection of
The Gardner Museum in Boston until it was stolen in 1990. It has not
yet been recovered.

The Maas at Dordrecht,
Aelbert Cuyp, 1650

The Maas at Dordrecht
Joshua Lee
The name of the painting is The Maas at Dordrecht. It was painted in the year 1650.
The painter of this artwork goes by the name Aelbert Cuyp. He was born on the
20 th of October in 1620. He is a leader in Dutch landscape painting. He is most
known for his countryside landscapes in Dordrecht. After he became married, his
production of art dramatically decreased. This was probably due to his increased
involvement in the church community. He died on November 15, 1691.
This painting strays away from Cuyp’s normality by being a seascape. But he still
incorporates his signature sunrise scene. This picture is during a festival. The
festival is to honor 30,000 soldiers. These soldiers contributed to The Thirty
Years’ War. This scene is show the fleets of ships taking the soldiers home as the
war draws near to an end. The man standing in the dinghy has more attention to
him than anyone else. He could possibly be the patron of this painting.
The painting is obviously a seascape. It was painted using oil paint. It is painted on
a canvas. The canvas was manually stretched. The painting is 45 ¼ x 67 inches.
The brush strokes soften as the picture distances. The painting becomes bore
clear and textured as it comes near. The composition is asymmetrical. There is
no center concentration. The painting is dominantly warm. The use of color
creates the depth of the painting; the further objects are, the more the objects
become the color of the sky.
The painting is a wonderful composition. The details and meticulous nature is
remarkable. There is no question why Cuyp was a leading Dutch landscape
painter. This painting is a great example of a Dutch seascape.

Leo Hollandicus, Nicolas Visscher, 1648

Leo Hollandicus
Margo Campbell
This is a map done by cartographer Nicolas Visscher in 1648.
The cartography method used was copperplate engraving. This
map includes the seven united provinces located only in the
area of Holland expressed in the shape of the lion. The idea was
created because the provinces form a similar shape to that of a
lion. Also, the lion was a national icon, placed on many coats-ofarms
throughout the province colonies. The lion brought a
sense of pride to the nation. At the time they were experiencing
power struggles from Spain and this was another symbol of
their unity.
In this particular map the lion is also holding a sword that
reads Patriae Defensio, which translates to Country Defense.
This further advocates the national pride of the country and
their dedication to whom they are as a people.

Printed Sources
• Borngåsser, B. Baroque and Rococo. Berlin, Germany: Feierbend Verlag,
2003.
• Fuchs, R.h. Dutch Painting. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1978.
• Mamiya, Christin and Fred Kleiner. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. 12 th ed.
Vol. 2. United States: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.
• Minor, Vernon. Baroque & Rococo Art & Culture. New York: Abrams, 1999
• Slive, Seymour. Jacob Van Ruisdael a Complete Catalogue of His Paintings,
Drawings and Etchings. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2002.
• Wheelock, Arthur. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1995
• van Guldener, H . Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Paintings.Germany: Knorr &
Hirth Verlag, 1976
• A Moral Compass; Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Painting in the
Netherlands. Lawrence O. Goedde. Grand Rapids Art Museum.Cambridge,
U.K.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999.
• Rijksmuseum Amsterdam; The Masterpieces Guide, M. Dominicus-van Soest.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Kunstdrukkerij Mercurius-Wormerveer, 2003.
• The Frans Hals Museum Haarlem, A. Erftemeijer, H. Snethlage, N. Køhler.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Ludion, 2004.

Internet Sources
• The Art of Cartography,
http://gallery.sjsu.edu/cartography/maps/index.html
• Altea Maps & Books
http://www.mapforum.com/12/12curio.htm
• Terra Incognita, http://www.terra-maps.com/index.html
• www.nmm.ac.uk
• www.encyclopedia.farlex
• www.boston.com.news
• Rijksmuseum.nl
• www.minbuza.nl/history/en
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aelbert_Cuyp
• www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg47/gg47-579.0.html