Inspiration - The Dutch Masters of the 17th century

To me the 17th century is extremely inspiring and important when I design leather goods & look for inspiration.

Our country of the Netherlands became independent in 1648 under the leadership of prince Willem van Oranje, our beloved Dutch painters painted masterpieces, Made in Holland and some other beautiful and less beautiful stories many people don't know much about. The Dutch Master painters Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Pieter Brueghel, Jan Steen, Lucas van Leyden and Frans Hals layed the foundation for our Dutch heritage in fine arts.

Many of our painters were some of the greatest painters of Europe. Among the 6 types of paintings, still life painting was very common. The paintings seemed a very realistic representation of everyday life, like it's fashion, food, ceramics and daily activities as there wasn't photography in this century yet.

The most inspiring thing to us is the depiction of light and the high skilled techniques used in many old Dutch paintings hundreds of years ago.

The contrasts (chiaroscuro) used in paintings in this century is a technique worth studying. The colour palettes were very iconic and specific. These timeless pieces, our Dutch heritage.

The inspiration for me to combine antique Dutch influences with modern day minimalism.

Love,

Safiera ♡