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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasant interior 1673 watercolor British Museum |
The life of Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685) was long and relatively untroubled, according to his biographer, with one significant exception – "Van Ostade's interest in watercolor came about as a result of the French invasion of Holland in 1672. Van Ostade fled from Haarlem and sought refuge in Amsterdam in the house of the collector, Constantijn Sennepart, where, away from his studio, he took up watercolor painting."
Curators at the British Museum comment that the artist''s earlier representations of Dutch peasant life were rolicking and satirical in tone, in accordance with conventions that prevailed in his day. Yet Van Ostade's peasant-pictures of the 1670s were different – respectful in intention and documentary in effect. Describing the domestic scene below, curators write that "the subtle depiction of the light filtering through the interior has few precedents in the history of watercolor."
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasant interior 1672 watercolor British Museum |
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| attributed to Adriaen van Ostade Peasant interior 1670s watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Interior of an inn 1673 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasants playing backgammon 1672 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Interior of an inn 1679 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasants playing backgammon 1672 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasant smoking 1670s watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasant standing 1670s watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasant dancing 1670s watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasants dancing 1670s watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Peasants playing gallet 1673 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Village scene 1673 watercolor British Museum |
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| Adriaen van Ostade Piper and children 1673 watercolor British Museum |
I am grateful to the British Museum for the excellent reproductions of these watercolors.