Dou, Gerard

Dou, Dow, or Douw, Gerard or Gerrit all: gāˈrärt, gĕrˈĭt dou [key], 1613–1675, Dutch genre and portrait painter of Leiden. The son of a glass painter, he was apprenticed to an engraver and worked from 1628 to 1631 in the studio of the young Rembrandt. Although he occasionally borrowed Rembrandt's themes, he was more detailed and meticulous in his execution. His scenes of domestic, middle-class life were tremendously popular and often imitated. Among his most famous works are Evening Light (Rijksmus.), Young Man (The Hague), The Cook (Louvre), and a self-portrait (Metropolitan Mus.).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: European Art, 1600 to the Present: Biographies