Pieter de Hooch

The only (possible) self-portrait of Pieter de Hooch hangs in the Rijksmuseum. We see a young, elegantly attired nineteen-year-old man.

We have very little information about De Hooch himself. However, it is known that he never became rich from his sublime paintings, even though they served as inspiration for many fellow artists, including Johannes Vermeer.

The views from one room through a doorway to another in De Hooch’s paintings are one of the artist’s trademarks and a kind of precursor of virtual reality: the viewer’s gaze is guided through the house.

Babies and small children play a prominent role in De Hooch’s painted world. In Woman with a Child in a Pantry, the woman offers the young master of the house a jug of beer.

Few other artists were as adept at painting the play of light in an interior as De Hooch. He did something quite bold in Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a House namely illuminating the scene from behind. Outside the sun is shining, while inside the light is subdued.

De Hooch’s painting A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair (Known as a Mother’s Duty) is an enchanting study in domesticity. The warm sunlight pouring in is just as palpable as the mother’s love.

De Hooch was brilliant in rendering the effects of light. Notice the closely observed dull reflection of sunlight on a marble floor.

Pieter de Hooch painted many courtyards featuring the residents of the accompanying houses in Delft, where he began his career. One of the most beautiful is this summer scene with an amorous couple.

With their serene atmosphere, many of De Hooch’s interiors resemble still lifes. In Interior with Women beside a Linen Cupboard, the human figures serve as accessories and are just as important as the furniture, such as the linen cupboard, the wicker laundry basket or the chair with a cushion.

De Hooch’s often sun-drenched interiors look so real that you can walk through them in your mind’s eye. Nevertheless, they were carefully conceived in the studio and not based on existing rooms.