Judith Leyster

Judith Leyster's paintings present musicians, children, and other figures through direct expressions and alert gestures. Contrasts of light and dark help give her subjects a compact, substantial presence within the traditions of Haarlem painting. The Proposition turns an encounter between two figures into a study of action and response, while her self-portrait presents the painter at her easel. These works connect everyday observation with the professional practice of a woman artist in the Dutch Golden Age.