Baroque and Beyond C. 1600–1850Dutch and Flemish Painting |
What is a genre painting? |
A genre painting, particularly popular in the Netherlands, is a realistic depiction of normal scenes from everyday life. Genre paintings eschew idealism and fantasy, and contrast with other popular forms such as religious and mythological paintings. Seventeenth-century Dutch artists such as Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), Jan Steen (1626–1679), and Pieter de Hooch (c. 1629–1684) are examples of famous genre painters.