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Pieter de Hooch

Pieter de Hooch

1629–1684 · Dutch Republic · Baroque

The story

Pieter de Hooch spent his best years in Delft in the 1650s, the same small Dutch city and the same decade as Johannes Vermeer, and for a while the two men were working out the same problem side by side. How do you paint ordinary rooms and courtyards so that light itself becomes the subject.

De Hooch's answer was the doorkijkje, the see-through doorway. A woman pauses in a brick courtyard, a maid crosses a sunlit room, and behind them an open door leads the eye to a second bright space beyond. These are unhurried scenes of middle-class life, sewing, sweeping, minding a child, held together by clean geometry and warm afternoon light.

Around 1660 he moved to Amsterdam and began painting richer, showier interiors for wealthier clients, and most people agree the work lost its quiet magic. He died there in 1684. For a long time it was said he ended his days in the city madhouse, until records showed that the inmate was his son of the same name.

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Works

47 works
A Woman and Two Men in an ArborA Woman and Two Men in an ArborPieter de Hooch, 1657Courtyard with a man smoking and a woman drinkingCourtyard with a man smoking and a woman drinkingPieter de Hooch, 1658Interior with man drinking and two woman with a child feeding a parrotInterior with man drinking and two woman with a child feeding a parrotPieter de Hooch, 1670Man reading letter to a womanMan reading letter to a womanPieter de Hooch, 1675Musical Party in a HallMusical Party in a HallPieter de Hooch, 1664Teaching a Child to WalkTeaching a Child to WalkPieter de Hooch, 1670The Golf PlayersThe Golf PlayersPieter de Hooch, 1658Two Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a TrumpeterTwo Soldiers and a Serving Woman with a TrumpeterPieter de Hooch, 1650Woman and Maid in a CourtyardWoman and Maid in a CourtyardPieter de Hooch, 1660Woman drinking with two men and a maid in an interiorWoman drinking with two men and a maid in an interiorPieter de Hooch, 1658Woman giving Money to a Servant-GirlWoman giving Money to a Servant-GirlPieter de Hooch, 1670A Woman with a Serving GirlA Woman with a Serving GirlPieter de Hooch, 1675Courtyard with an ArbourCourtyard with an ArbourPieter de Hooch, 1658Interior of a Kitchen with a Woman, a Child and a MaidInterior of a Kitchen with a Woman, a Child and a MaidPieter de Hooch, 1670Interior with a Mother close to a CradleInterior with a Mother close to a CradlePieter de Hooch, 1665Merry Company with a mandolin and a dogMerry Company with a mandolin and a dogPieter de Hooch, 1673Mother with a Child and a ChambermaidMother with a Child and a ChambermaidPieter de Hooch, 1665Paying the HostessPaying the HostessPieter de Hooch, 1674The BedroomThe BedroomPieter de Hooch, 1658Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed ("The Maidservant")Woman with a Water Pitcher, and a Man by a Bed ("The Maidservant")Pieter de Hooch, 1667Young woman in an interior, receiving a letterYoung woman in an interior, receiving a letterPieter de Hooch, 1669Card Players at a TableCard Players at a TablePieter de Hooch, 1670