Gerrit Dou: 17th century Dutch artist portraying dentists at work

The Dutch painter, Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), was, during his lifetime, a prestigious and highly paid artist. Critics and collectors of that era marveled at his extraordinary technical skill, his masterful illusionism and his keen portrayal of everyday life. He was the first artist to perfect the technique of "fine painting"--the production of small, detailed pictures wherein subjects are painted in a photographically realistic style. Because of his exceptional skill in this technique, the brushwork in his painting was almost invisible. Additionally, he masterfully used light and shade to achieve the effect of a third dimension. In many of his portraits, subjects stare ahead from inside a window (or niche), whose sill is overflowing with small, familiar objects. Dou's focus was on 17th century Holland and his work included: portraits, genre (scenes of everyday life) and religious themes. Between 1628 and 1675, he painted about three hundred pictures: six of these portrayed dentists at work. Most artists of those days depicted dentists as plying their trade in theatrical, circus-like environments, as in crowded county fairs. However, Dou's dentists interact with their patients in a realistic, professional manner. In this article, his most famous dental painting, "The Dentist," created in 1672, is analyzed in detail. Over the centuries, Dou's public recognition has faded into obscurity. However, his exceptional talents are currently being rediscovered.