Analysis of Gerrit Dou's Painting, Astronomer by Candlelight

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Analysis of Gerrit Dou's Painting, Astronomer by Candlelight

Surprisingly small compared to other works, “Astronomer by Candlelight” by Gerrit Dou could be easily overlooked by a casual stroller. However, as I approached it to have a closer look, other paintings quickly lost interest for me. The closer I got, the more detail appeared; the scene came alive with the play of light and dark. The astronomer, eternally still, pulsed with life, pondering over his books. Within a foot of the painting I began to feel as though I was looking through a keyhole into his study. Indeed, Dou's work and all its facets becomes an emblem for "the inquiry of truth, which is the lovemaking, or the wooing of it... [as] the sovereign good of human nature" as eloquently stated by Francis Bacon in "Of Truth." Made in the 1950's, the painting stands as a prominent example of Gerrit Dou's technique.

Gerrit Dou was talented enough to get accepted into the apprenticeship of Rembrandt at an early age. After following in the footsteps of his master for six years,...

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