Philips Wouwerman. "Deer Hunt" Automatic translate

On November 1 at 12:00, the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts (104 Lenin St.) will open the exhibition "Philips Wouwerman. ’Deer Hunt" from the collection of the State Hermitage Museum.

This canvas by the Dutch artist entered the Hermitage in 1772. It was purchased for Catherine II at the sale of the famous collection of the Duke de Choiseul in Paris, through the mediation of Denis Diderot. The purchase cost the empress a large sum – 20,700 livres, and the sale itself caused a lot of noise, raising a wave of indignation among Parisians.

The painting was executed by Philips Wouwerman (1619–1668) around 1665–1668, on a canvas measuring 100 x 183 cm. This distinguishes it from other works by the master, who preferred a small format.

As in many of his other works, Wouwerman devotes most of the canvas to depicting a high, cloudy sky. The main action takes place in the foreground at the bottom edge – in the center we see two deer running across a river and two horsemen, a man and a woman, chasing them, surrounded by greyhounds. On the opposite bank, other hunters lie in wait for the prey, one of whom holds a spear at the ready.

The key scene is supplemented by several independent plots: a group of elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies resting after falconry; a cheerful company on the terrace of the palace. The composition is filled with many details that are revealed as you look at the painting and are necessary to create pictorial accents. Among them are a fishing boat in the middle of the river, a round tower and a group of islands in the distance.

The Dutch universal artist Philips Wouwerman worked equally successfully in the battle, genre and landscape genres, demonstrating his mastery in creating both dynamic multi-figure compositions and more laconic chamber scenes. His pictorial legacy is striking in its abundance (today, at least 600 signed works are known) and unchanging quality.

Born in Haarlem, Wouwerman spent most of his life there, joining the Guild of Saint Luke in 1640. According to some sources, the young artist studied with Frans Hals, who lived and worked in Haarlem at the time. However, his style was more influenced by Pieter van Laer, known for his genre compositions in the manner of the Italian masters.

Scenes of hunting, preparation for hunting and returning from hunting became one of the main themes for Wouwerman, which he addressed many times. However, " Deer Hunt " is a special work in his legacy. The uniqueness of this canvas lies not only in its non-standard size for the artist, but also in the combination of several artistic techniques, which together make up Wouwerman’s characteristic method. This is attention to detail and its detailed elaboration, the integrity and accuracy of the composition, delicate color relationships and a precisely found combination of dynamics and statics. The artist solves a large pictorial problem, which many of his predecessors set for themselves. And, despite the fact that the plot he chose has been played out more than once by great masters, he finds his elegant solution.

The time of the creation of "The Deer Hunt" is considered by researchers to be the best period in Wouwerman’s work, having achieved complete harmony between the genre scene and the landscape. In this case, it was absolutely fantasy, not Dutch, with a mountain range in the background, southern trees and castle architecture.

In total, the Hermitage holds about 40 works by Philips Wouwerman, which speaks to the unquenchable interest of collectors in his work at different stages of the formation of the museum collection.

The exhibition at the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts will be the central event of the Hermitage Days in Kaluga, which will take place from October 31 to November 3, 2024.

During these days, curators will conduct several author’s excursions for visitors. In addition, the Hermitage VR cinema will be opened in the exhibition hall of the Kaluga Museum. VR glasses will allow residents of Kaluga to watch the film in 360˚ format "Hermitage. Immersion in History" with Konstantin Khabensky in the leading role.

Also planned are: a series of lectures on Dutch painting, a presentation of new Hermitage publications, a screening of films from the documentary series "Masterpieces of the Hermitage", meetings with curators and other specialists at various venues. A tablet exhibition "Masters of the Golden Age of Dutch Painting in the Collection of the State Hermitage" will be held on Teatralnaya Street.

The program will be supplemented by projects prepared by the staff of the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts: thematic and interactive excursions, children’s master classes, a concert of Western European music.