Artwork
The News Reader
The News Reader is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Steen. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection.
About this work
Overview
Jan Steen’s 1665 oil painting, titled The News Reader, presents a domestic interior where a man and a woman share a modest table. The man, dressed in a hat and jacket, is absorbed in a newspaper, while the woman, wearing a headscarf, watches him. A dog lies on the floor, and the room is defined by a thatched roof, creating a quiet, intimate atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of everyday life, emphasizing the act of reading and the subtle interaction between the couple. The woman’s attentive gaze suggests curiosity or shared interest, while the presence of the dog adds a domestic touch, reinforcing the genre scene’s focus on ordinary, relatable moments within a modest household.
Technique & Style
Steen employs chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated areas with deep shadows to model forms and suggest depth. The light falls on the newspaper and the figures, highlighting textures of fabric and wood, while the surrounding darkness encloses the scene, lending a three‑dimensional quality that draws the viewer’s eye to the central act of reading.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑17th century, The News Reader is part of Jan Steen’s extensive output of genre paintings. The canvas now belongs to the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it is displayed among other Dutch Golden Age works, reflecting the museum’s commitment to preserving this period’s domestic narratives.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Havickszoon Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century.
Paintings of physicians by Jan Steen
The Dissolute Household
Merry Company on a Terrace
Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman
Interior of an inn with an old man amusing himself with the landlady and two men playing backgammon, known as 'Two kinds of games'
The Drunken Couple
The Happy Family
Bathsheba after the Bath
