Research Paper on:
Holland, Surrounding Countries, and Seventeenth Century Art

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
of some very dismal and controlling times, and finding new life in the world around them. Part of that world included art. And, as is often the case, the art  of the time period reflected the changes in the culture and society in the surrounding region. In relationship to these changes, one of the most famous areas of art is  that which involves Holland and the Dutch Baroque period. In the following paper we examine the practice of art in Holland in the 17th century. The paper then discusses the  practice of art in Italy, Spain, and the Spanish Netherlands. The paper finishes with a discussion which examines whether the two practices were different, and how one may have influenced  the other. Holland As mentioned, Holland in the 17th Century was known for the Dutch Baroque period of art. In understanding the changes that were taking place, changes  which encourage this period of art, we find that "having succeeded in breaking away from Catholic Spains domination in the late 16th century... Holland embraced Protestantism, eliminating most religious and  mythological themes in Dutch art. Dutch 17th century painting tends to be more conservative than that of other European countries, focusing on the land and the pastimes of the Dutch  people who were an increasingly prosperous merchant middle class" (Anonymous Dutch Baroque Period, 2002; 216.html). It was also during the 17th century that Holland and Flanders, "then known as  the Spanish Netherlands, freed themselves from the control of Spain, and the Dutch established an independent nation. They were Protestant, while the Flemish remained Roman Catholic" (Anonymous The Dutch School  dutch.htm). And, as Protestants they "did not believe in decorating their churches with works of art. They were very proud, however, of the country they had won at the cost