Symbolism on the canvas and home-grown wines
We’re looking here at cheerful portraits, groups of people and still lifes from 17th century Dutch painting, and can discover more than that we see …
Alternately, we’re tasting a number of red and white wines from the Netherlands.
Cheerful scenes from the 17th century
The Dutch 17th century is known for its unparalleled artists and for the production of an estimated millions of paintings that were bought by both rich and poor people. Painting was seen more as a craft than as an art, and for painters it was ‘big business’. At that time, painting involved a large number of themes, including the ‘genre pieces’, paintings that depict daily life. One genre is ‘the cheerful company’, which are depictions of cozy scenes indoors or outdoors where the wine flows freely. Another genre is the ‘still life’, where we see tables richly covered with food, fruit and … yes, of course, wine! Or is there more to discover in these paintings…?
Wine from our own soil
When tasting the wines, we stay in our own country. With about 170 wineries, the Netherlands is gradually maturing as a wine country. Most vineyards can be found in Limburg and Gelderland, but Groningen and Zeeland also have vineyards. White ‘northern’ grape varieties are most commonly planted because they can withstand damp and cool weather better than the ‘southern’ varieties. There is also a lot of experimentation with crossing varieties to get vines that are more resistant to fungal disease and can also ripen earlier. Climate change is an important factor in this process.