The Golden Age of Dutch Painting



Overview

Join Alice Foster for this hybrid lecture series and mark the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city of Amsterdam.   

The 17th century in Holland was a time of unprecedented economic success, world power and a flourishing of the arts. The merchant patrons encouraged the painters to be bold in their efforts to explore a new range of subjects, such as landscape and still life, and with a clarity never seen before. At the same time, individual success was encouraged, and Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer were among those celebrated for their prowess. 

Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 GMT on 16 January 2026.

Programme details

Lectures take place on Wednesdays, from 2–3:30pm GMT.

Wednesday 21 January 2026 

Landscape

A new emphasis on the clarity of the air and the skies, and always the weather because it affected trading.  Those buying the paintings were merchants and this new approach resonated with them.

Wednesday 28 January 2026 

Genre

Sometimes known as “the portraiture of Holland” these images of everyday life in interiors and taverns and markets reflected the actual experiences of Dutch life in the period.

Wednesday 4 February 2026

Frans Hals

Hals painted people with a distinct reality:  fashionable clothes, full of life characters often with a glimmer of a smile on their lips, and in a modern painterly style that was the forerunner of French Impressionism.

Wednesday 11 February 2026 

Jan Steen 

Still today in Holland people talk of a “Jan Steen household” meaning dishevelled, chaotic and out of hand. Steen was a master of moral (or immoral) observation.

Wednesday 18 February 2026

Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt is the central figure in the Dutch Golden Age. He was a prolific painter, draughtsman and printmaker with wide ranging subjects from landscape to the Bible and portraits, which are given unparalleled emotional depth. 

Wednesday 25 February 2026

Johannes Vermeer

Vermeer produced only a few paintings in his lifetime but with colours and tones used in a confident scientific manner.  It is clear that he understood Leonardo’s theory that every object absorbs the colour of the adjacent objects.   

How and when to watch

Each lecture will last approximately 1 hour, followed by questions.

Please join in good time before each lecture to ensure that you have no connection problems. We recommend joining 10-15 minutes before the start time.

Fees

Description Costs
Event Fee - virtual attendance £75.00
In-person event fee (includes tea/coffee and a pastry) £90.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit or are a full-time student in the UK you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutors

Mrs Alice Foster

Tutor

Alice has lectured for Oxford University Dept of Continuing Education since 1998. She lectures at the Ashmolean Museum and at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Her busy freelance career includes organising History of Art Study Days with colleagues, and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. In 2004 Alice joined NADFAS and has lectured in Great Britain and Europe.  Since its inception in 2003 Alice has been a tutor on study holidays with Learn Italy Ltd. She is President of Banbury Fine Arts Society and also Northleach Arts Society.

Ms Bry Leighton

Tutor

Application

Please use the 'Book' button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.

Accommodation

If you wish to stay with us before and/or after the event, please contact our Residential Centre for availability and discounted rates.

Call +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk

Our accommodation in Wellington Square has been rated as 4-Star Campus Accommodation under Visit England. All bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished with tea/coffee making facilities, Freeview television, private bath/shower rooms and free WiFi. For more details see our accommodation information.

IT requirements

For those joining us online

We will be using Zoom for the livestreaming of this lecture series. If you’re attending online, you’ll be able to see and hear the speakers, and to submit questions via the Zoom interface. Joining instructions will be sent out prior to the start date. We recommend that you join the session at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start time – just as you might arrive a bit early at our lecture theatre for an in-person event.

Please note that this course will not be recorded.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support