DUTCH MASTERS

DUTCH MASTERS.... The paintings of the Dutch masters of the 17th Century are among the world's greatest paintings. Foremost are the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan VerMeer. Rembrandt was born in the city of Leiden in 1606 and died in Amsterdam in 1669. VerMeer was born in Delft in 1632 and died there in 1675. Whereas Rembrandt received great recognition during his lifetime, VerMeer appears to have received little. Ironically, both artists spent their later years in poverty, while their paintings are now of inestimable value. It is also interesting that the 17th Century produced masters in every quarter. Philosophy had Descartes and Locke; the sciences had Galileo, Hooke, Huygens; mathe- matics had Descartes and Pascal; Baroque music had Gabrieli, Pachelbel, and later Vivaldi and Bach.