Existing comment:
Circle of Frans Hals
The Violin Player, ca 1630s
Frans Hals's very distinctive style of painting -- characterized by broad brushstrokes, a monochrome palette, and the direct presentation of the subject -- attracted many followers. One of these was the famous female artist Judith Leyster who was active in Hals's circle and followed his style very closely. It is to her that many scholars have attributed this painting.
The artist's foregrounding of the subject challenges us to "hear" the violin as much as observe the player -- perhaps as an allegory of the sense of hearing or the art of music.
It is worth noting that Leyster was married to the painter Jan Molenaer, whose Allegory of Marital Fidelity is exhibited at left. Because both works represent music and contains allegorical elements it is worth comparing them: The Violin Player is slightly more up to date for its time in its monochrome palette and cropped composition, whereas Molenaer's colorful, crowded painting is slightly reminiscent of the earlier tradition of Mannerism. |