Illusions: How Optics Influenced Art of the Dutch Golden Age

The 17th century was a time of economic, scientific, and artistic growth for the Dutch Republic. At this time, there was a common interest in seeing and looking at the world more closely. There is evidence that artists like Hoogstraten and Vermeer utilized optical tools like the camera obscura to understand and represent the “photographic” qualities of sight-- using the junction of art and science to display their artistic prowess in mimesis, thus improving their reputations as artists.