From the late Middle Ages until about 1700 the Low Countries were a leading force in the art of northern Europe, thereafter becoming less important. In the earlier High Middle AgesMosan art, from an area partly in the Low Countries, had had a similar role.
The 17th century was a period dominated by the distinct individuals Peter Paul Rubens in the Southern Netherlands and Rembrandt van Rijn in the newly independent Dutch Republic.[3] Dutch and Flemish painters both followed many of the same themes, including still life, genre, landscape, portraiture and classicism. Other artistic tendencies clearly differentiated art in the south from the north: the Counter-Reformation, which spurred on patronage for large altarpieces in the south, was absent from the Dutch Republic, while Flemish painting did not see the development of the types of calm, single-figure genre paintings championed by the likes of Jan Vermeer.[2]
1700–1830
The most famous painter from the region in the late 17th and early 18th century is Antoine Watteau, whose hometown of Valenciennes had been annexed by France a decade before he was born. Otherwise, few painters from about 1700 until the end of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1830 have been incorporated into the art historical discourse.[4][5] Dutch painters such as Jacob de Wit adopted a lofty Rococo style, indebted somewhat to Rubens, for ceiling decorations, but there was little work available.[6] Other painters, such as Cornelis Troost, looked to England and especially the works of William Hogarth, for inspiration.[7]
After 1830
Art after 1830 in Belgium and the Netherlands follow separate paths as the countries further develop their own identities. James Ensor is an important figure from Belgium, while Vincent van Gogh, from the Netherlands, posthumously reached the level of modern superstar painter.
Mariët Westermann, "After Iconography and Iconoclasm: Current Research in Netherlandish Art, 1566–1700," The Art Bulletin, vol. 84 (Jun., 2002), pp. 351–372, esp. 355.
J.M. Montias, "Socio-Economic Aspects of Netherlandish Art from the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century: A Survey," The Art Bulletin, vol. 72, (Sep., 1990), pp. 358–373, esp. 367.
Koldeweij, A. M., Alexandra Hermesdorf, Paul Huvenne, et al.. De Schilderkunst der Lage Landen. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006. ISBN978-90-5356-809-5