Judith Leyster's Most Famous Paintings

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Judith Leyster was a highly regarded member of the Dutch Golden Age who is believed by many to have been amongst the most talented artists to have contributed to this important period in the history of the Netherlands.

Leyster also served an important role way beyond just her own career, but also in displaying the qualities that could be delivered by female artists, who for many centuries had been discouraged from entering the creative arts industry. Thankfully, her determination and ability shone through in the end, and she would become one of a number of successful female painters within that era. Art history would do its best to hide her achievements, mis-attributing all of her work to related artists for a number of years but eventually this error was corrected and today we can learn much about her life. She worked in a lively manner, expressing herself in a style which proved popular with the public. It also suited the subject matter that she displayed of lively social scenes, similar to how the Bruegels had worked in the previous century. Tavens and weddings would be popular choices, where local people would get together and drink, eat and listen to live music.

There are some gaps in our knowledge of this artist, just as with most of the Dutch Golden Age artists, but we do know that she was connected to famous master, Frans Hals. There are clear similiarities between their work which might suggest that she was a pupil of his but this has never been proven. She is known to have later fallen out with him over a pupil who switched from her workshop to his, and this soured their friendship for good. She was clearly a strong character who would happily stand up for her own interests, aware that she was working within a male-dominated industry where she would need to fight to preserve her own status. She was born in Haarlem and this large town would host a number of important artists, with further cities relatively close by that could also offer more opportunities to these established artists. Some would relocate entirely, such as to Amsterdam, whilst others would move around on short trips before returning home.
As has happened with a number of famous female artists, Leyster would actually marry a fellow artist, namely Jan Miense Molenaer. In some examples, such as with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the husband would be the older, established artist who offered a lift up against the societal barriers (see also Sara van Baalbergen and Barent van Eysen). The scenario with Judith Leyster and Jan Miense Molenaer would be much more balanced, though, and they came through similar career paths before eventually living and working together. They would have five children together in total, and at that time most families would be large because of the likelihood that many would not make it into adulthood. Thankfully Leyster was still able to continue working (though less prolifically) and over time her achievements have been correctly attributed to her own hand. For many years her oeuvre was assumed to have been by her husband or their tutor, Frans Hals, but today there is a strong body of work which is entirely accepted as her's and her's alone. She has therefore established herself as the most important female painter within the Dutch Golden Age.

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