Karel Dujardin

Karel Dujardin painted Italian scenes: sunlit countryside with shepherds, mules, cows and goats, farriers at work and travelling performers, all in a clear, warm southern light. He was one of the Dutch painters who brought Italy home in their pictures.

He was born in Amsterdam in 1626 and probably trained with Nicolaes Berchem. He spent time in Rome early in his career, where he joined the Bentvueghels, the club of Dutch and Flemish artists, who nicknamed him Goat’s Beard. Back in the Netherlands he painted landscapes, genre scenes, portraits and religious works. He returned to Italy late in life and died in Venice in 1678. His works are in the Louvre, the National Gallery in London and the Rijksmuseum.

A Party of Charlatans in an Italian Landscape and A Smith Shoeing an Ox show his crisp light and the small dramas of village life.