Description
The painting "The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn" by the artist Govert Teunisz Flinck is an impressive work that captures the viewer's attention with its composition and use of colour. The painting, measuring 347 x 244 cm, depicts the two Dutch officers in the 17th century, who led a company of soldiers in the Thirty Years' War.
Flinck's artistic style is distinctly Baroque, with his dramatic figures and his use of light and shadow to create depth and dimension. The composition of the painting is impressive, with Captain Bas and Lieutenant Conijn in the center, surrounded by their soldiers and horses. Flinck uses a soft focus technique to create a sense of movement and action in the painting.
The color in the painting is vibrant and dramatic, with shades of red and gold highlighting the officers' uniforms and the details on the horses and weapons. The dark tones in the background create a mysterious and gloomy atmosphere, which further highlights the figure of the officers and their leadership.
The history of the painting is interesting, as Flinck was a student of Rembrandt and the court painter of the Netherlands. The painting was commissioned by the Bas family to commemorate the military achievements of their ancestors in the Thirty Years' War. The painting originally hung in the Bas family home in Amsterdam, but is now in the Rijksmuseum in the same city.
A little-known aspect of the painting is that Flinck had originally planned to add landscape behind the officers and soldiers, but decided to remove it to focus attention on the figures in the foreground. This focus on the human figure is a common feature of the Baroque style and shows Flinck's ability to capture emotion and action in his works.
In summary, "The Company of Captain Albert Bas and Lieutenant Lucas Conijn" is an impressive work by the artist Govert Teunisz Flinck, who uses the Baroque style to create a dramatic composition and color to highlight the importance of Dutch officers in the War of Thirty Years. The painting's history and little-known aspects make it even more fascinating and worthy of admiration.