Frans van Mieris the Elder created Old Soldier Holding a Pipe early in his career, when he was only twenty years old.
He was from Leiden, where he trained with the most well-known artist there at the time, Gerrit Dou. Mieris eventually became the leader of the fijnschilders (Dutch for “fine painters”), who were known for their nearly invisible brushwork, fine detail, and incredibly realistic depiction of textures. This work is an excellent example of Mieris’s convincing portrayal of textures and unnoticeable brushstrokes, which he achieved by layering thin coats of paint with tiny brushes. The Dutch had a word for this technique, stofuitdrukking, which is meant to invite the viewer to observe the painting up close.
Mieris also draws the viewer in with the soldier’s ambiguous gaze. The soldier appears deep in thought as he stares off toward the left edge of the picture frame. There is a sense, though, that he does not actually focus on whatever he is looking at; instead he appears tired, inwardly focused, and lost in thought. The pipe and beer tankard suggest immoral behavior, and Mieris may have been questioning the ideal of the “knight in shining armor” by showing a soldier in this unidealized way. The ambiguity of the soldier’s gaze and the unspecified setting, along with Mieris’s extraordinary technique, invite the viewer to observe the painting closely and to draw his or her own conclusions about the soldier’s contemplation.
by Rachael Sherrer