The Influence

The arrival of this movement to the lowlands changed the style of local art as it spread across the Northern European art market. In the following decades, art across the Flemish region changed drastically. Canvases became darker, highlights were more pronounced, and scenes became more dramatic as a result. Certain characteristics of Northern European art remained, such as genre painting, which is the portrayal of everyday activities. The palette is also different to that observed in Italy, whose trade allowed it to have access to expensive pigments. The northern European tones were generally earthier and warmer in complexion, marking a key distinction between Italian and Flemish paintings. 

A Man Smoking and Another Man Eating by Candlelight

This piece by Willem van der Vliet depicts a man smoking and another man opposite him eating. Vliet's departure from Delft was never recorded, and unlike the Caravaggisti, he did not spend time in Rome to pick up on the influence left by Caravaggio. The portrayal is similar to a genre painting, where the men seem unaware of their depiction, and continue with their activities. In this work, the light source comes from the lighter held by the smoker. However, similar to the light in the works by the Caravaggisti, the light source is still covered, in this case by the bowl. This compositional choice evidently regains focus on the figures, rather than being centred around the light source in the centre of the work. The resulting effect draws the viewer into the centre of the canvas, and we appear to be included into the scene.