Paulus Potter

Happy Birthday Paulus Potter!! Born in 1625, Potter is perhaps Holland's most famous animal painter. The son of a painter, he changed the way animals were depicted, treating them as the focus in their portraits rather than background information. The story is told that Potter meandered about Holland sketching and getting in tune with nature. He was as well known as Rembrandt, and in fact Rembrandt's benefactor was his as well. Unfortunately the art world lost Potter at the early of age 28 to tuberculosis. The portrait I have included today is The Young Bull (1647).