At the Museum with Jennifer Hyde

Dentist by Candlelight (c. 1660 - 65) by Dutch artist Gerrit Dou is part of the European permanent collection at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Dou paints the tooth-puller, a common character in Flemish artwork, and his subjects with miniaturistic detail. The painting is oil on oak and has a polished finish.

Light becomes the most overwhelming characteristic of Dou's painting. The sources of light are the two depicted flames, one being held by the dentist and the other in a lantern on the window ledge. Dou uses this to highlight the important parts of the painting. The lantern shows the frame of the painting which is the window which the viewer is looking through. The lantern subtly highlights figures of still life and vanitas in the foreground. Dou uses the primary light, the candle being held by the dentist, to highlight the main characters of the painting. The candle first directly lights the faces of the doctor, patient and concerned bystander. By doing this, the emotions of the three people are evident. The candle also lightly brings attention to the crocodile hanging from the ceiling. Space in the painting is defined by the light. As the light fades, negative space begins. Dou uses light to contrast between cool and warm colors. The direct light sources and the surfaces they touch are all warm tones while the surfaces outside the light's touch are cool. This helps to emphasize the subject of the painting.

Line is elegantly used in this painting to tell a story. Dou's wit is seen in the way he paints the patients face, scared and looking up. The way the eyes are drawn points a line to the crocodile on the ceiling. This is not something you would necessarily want to see in your dentist's office. Dou also implies lines with the direction of both the dentist's and the bystander's gaze. Dou repeats a curved line in the back edge of the metal bowl, up to the curve created from the heads of the three people, up to the curve of the crocodile and finally up to the curve of the window. This draws the viewer's eyes up through the painting to tell the story of the patient's fears with the dentist. The shapes of the people are very expressive of their states in the story. The dentist is standing erect over the patient giving him the place of power. The patient is sitting showing his vulnerability. The bystander is hunched over to show her worry. Dou uses circular forms to show relationships. The items in the window all have circular forms which are then repeated in the people. The curve of their heads married with the curve from the man and woman holding hands creates a circle. Within this circle is the main story of the painting.

Dou uses the light and circle to create emphasis. Although the light and circular forms are found throughout the painting, the central focus, the three people, is emphasized with direct light in the circle. Balance is somewhat symmetrical along the vertical line created by following the curved forms. Rhythm is found in the repetition of curved forms and lines. The rhythm in this piece acts as a unifying element between all the objects you see through the window.

Dou's Dentist by Candlelight is an impressive piece. His attention to detail on such a miniscule level, the entire painting is only fifteen by eleven inches, is breathtaking. Using the principles and elements of art, Dou is able to tell the story of the three interconnected characters.

Image on left from Kimbell Art Museum Online gallery, Image on right taken by Jennifer Hyde in South wing of Kimbell Art Museum in 2009