The Flood / Artist Unknown, Dutch

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1985/2.70
Title
The Flood
Artist Nationality
Dutch
Medium and Support
oil on panel
Object Creation Date
circa 1590
Object Creation Place
Europe (continent)
Netherlands (nation)
North Holland (province)
Haarlem (inhabited place)
Creation Place 1
Europe (continent)
Creation Place 2
Netherlands (nation)
Creation Place 3
North Holland (province)
Creation Place 4
Haarlem (inhabited place)
Style/Group/Movement
Mannerist
Dimensions
70.6 cm x 92.8 cm (27 13/16 in. x 36 9/16 in.)
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
panel painting
Secondary Object Classification
Painting
Secondary Object Type
Biblical
Physical Description
In an ominous landscape a crowd of nude men, women and children, their bodies silhouetted against the descending gloom, struggle frantically to escape rising floodwaters. The figures gesture wildly and strenuously twist their long athletic bodies into a seemingly infinite variety of contortions as they clamber up the last hilltops and trees. A city stands on a hill and appears through the trees in the background.
Subject Matter
This painting offers a dark and chaotic vision of the last remnants of humanity struggling against the rising waters of the flood described in the book of Genesis. The writhing mass of bodies offered van Mander the opportunity to display his skill in rendering human form, but also creates a sense of panicked desperation as humanity and civilization, suggested by the city in the background, is swallowed by the waters.
Primary Keywords
cityscapes
cows
crowd
floods
genesis
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
2532 x 1936
File Size
652 KB
Record
1985/2.70
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.70/1985_2.70.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1985-SL-2.70:1985_2.70.JPG

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Full citation
"The Flood; Artist Unknown, Dutch." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.70/1985_2.70.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 27, 2024.
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