Jordaens at Home
October 15 2021
Video: Frans Hals Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem have opened a fantastic exhibition today entitled At Home with Jordaens. Amongst the triumphs of the exhibition is the recreation of a room in Jordaens's house with a set of surviving ceiling paintings, a project that looks very exciting indeed.
According to the museum's blurb:
Where the Northern Netherlands had Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer, in the Southern Netherlands they had their own Great Three: Jordaens, Rubens and Van Dijk.
This exhibition focuses on Jacob Jordaens, with his great flair, worldliness, individuality and typicalities. Jordaens made portraits, historical scenes and genre paintings until well into his old age. His next of kin were often a source of inspiration to him. His home served as his showroom and the room where he received his – wealthy – clients was spectacularly decorated with his own work.
Especially for this exhibition a reconstruction of that reception room will be made in the Frans Hals Museum, which enables visitors to feel as if they were ‘at Jordaens’ home’ for a moment, surrounded by many works that have never been shown together before.
The show will run until 30th January 2022.
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The soundtrack to this video tops the list of the most confused I've ever heard. Does adding such cacophonous racket really attract a younger more vibrant audience, I wonder?
As it happens, I think Jordaens must have been a rather musical fellow. He painted himself playing or holding a lute at least three times, alongside depicting himself as a bagpipe player. I wonder if there is any more evidence to prove this theory.
