Man Cleaning Fish

591
Man Cleaning Fish at the Window
1657
Gerrit Dou

Very precisely executed cabinet painting with a clever play of light and shade. An illusion of depth is given by the room beyond seen through the open window. It is a genre painting of everyday life in a Dutch worker's family showing an old man cleaning fish and an old woman in the background weaving something.

It evokes the charm and warmth of everyday life. There are two sources of light, that from front right illuminates the old man at the window, while deeper back there is a window showing a sunny landscape. The colours are warm and the tactile sense is awakened by the painting of clothing and faces of people at their everyday jobs.