03 — ARTWORK
The Dentist
HONTHORST, Gerrit van · 1622 →
- MEDIUM
- Oil on canvas, 147 x 219 cm
- TYPE
- Genre
PALETTE
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- FILE
- 1486 × 1000 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
This canvasA woven cloth used as a support for painting. The best-quality canvas is made of linen; other materials used are cotton, hemp, and jute. It is now so familiar a material that the word 'canvas' has become almost a synonym for an oil painting, but it was not until around 1500 that it began to rival the wooden panel (which was more expensive and took longer to prepare) as the standard support for movable paintings (the transition came later in Northern Europe than in Italy). Canvas is not suitable for painting on until it has been coated with a ground, which isolates the fabric from the paint; otherwise it will absorb too much paint, only very rough effects will be obtainable, and parts of the fabric may be rotted by the pigments. It must also be made taut on a stretcher or by some other means. was painted after the return of the artist from Italy to the Netherlands. It reveals a thorough adaptation of Caravaggesques prototypes as evidenced by the figural types, the clothing of the dentist and his assistant, the composition, and the bold chiaroscuroIn painting, the modelling of form (the creation of a sense of three-dimensionality in objects) through the use of light and shade. The introduction of oil paints in the 15th century, replacing tempera, encouraged the development of chiaroscuro, for oil paint allowed a far greater range and control of tone. The term chiaroscuro is used in particular for the dramatic contrasts of light and dark introduced by Caravaggio. When the contrast of light and dark is strong, chiaroscuro becomes an important element of composition. effects. However, here the light emanates from a candle, an artificial source generally absent in the work of Caravaggio.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r6d0676feaadc7f,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {The Dentist by HONTHORST, Gerrit van},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/honthorst-gerrit-van-r1678e980c789f2/the-dentist-r6d0676feaadc7f},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
