Author Description

Emotional intensity is a hallmark of European art in the Baroque era, and Dutch and Flemish art are no exception. NKJ volume 60 is the first collection of essays to examine this aspect of visual culture in the early modern Netherlands. Case studies explore both the representation of the passions in paintings and prints of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the responses of contemporary viewers to works ranging from the vivid tronies (physiognomic studies) of Rembrandt to the dramatic hunting scenes of Peter Paul Rubens. In addition, several essays examine theoretical approaches to emotional display and response, drawing upon the writings of early modern art theorists, the interplay between painting and theatre, and the emerging field of neuroarthistory.