The elephant in the living room: Jan Steen's fantasy interior as parodic portrait of the Schouten family

Painter Jan Steen is known for his comic genre pieces, but his portraits typically flatter the sitters. This essay examines the use of humor in his commissioned portraits. Steen combined decorum and tradition with his comedy. The focus of the essay is "Fantasy interior," a family portrait....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aurora (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) N.J.), 2010-01, Vol.11, p.91-119
Main Author: Clouter Blazzard, Kimberlee A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Criticism and interpretation
Family
Parody
Portraits
Portrayals
Schouten, Gerrit
Steen, Jan
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Painter Jan Steen is known for his comic genre pieces, but his portraits typically flatter the sitters. This essay examines the use of humor in his commissioned portraits. Steen combined decorum and tradition with his comedy. The focus of the essay is "Fantasy interior," a family portrait. While the painting flatters the family and home, it also remarks on Dutch social classes.
ISSN:1527-652X