Gerard van Honthorst
Dear users, we wanted to share with you that DailyArt has been awarded by Apple with the 2024 App Store Award! Every year, Apple celebrates the very best and most impactful apps and games on the App Store, and we became winners in the Cultural Impact category:) You can read more about this here. We want to thank you for all your support all these years; we can grow and get such amazing awards thanks to you! :)
Smiling, singing figures gather around a balcony, playing musical instruments and inviting viewers below to join in their revelry. Their animated expressions and brightly colored clothing amplify the festive, carefree atmosphere. A parrot and a dog, perched nearby and gazing down, add to the lively scene. This work, possibly an allegory of Harmony, may originally have been wider and longer, including a complete balustrade and additional figures. Notably, the head of the man at the top is a modern addition.
Gerrit van Honthorst painted this illusionistic ceiling in 1622, making it the earliest of its kind created in the Netherlands. He completed it two years after returning from Italy, where he encountered similar ceiling paintings. By skillfully calculating perspective, Honthorst makes the figures appear to burst convincingly through the flat surface of the painted panel, creating an immersive and dynamic visual experience.
Amazing, isn't it? And you know what? Our Monthly Wall Calendars are full of such extraordinary works!
P.S. In Italy, Honthorst learned from the best. Check how Andrea Mantegna used his illusionistic games that fool the viewer's eye!