Judith Leyster | Baroque Era painter

Judith Leyster (1609–1660) is the most famous female painter of the Dutch Golden Age.

Unlike many contemporary female artists, who concentrated on meticulously painting true-to-life flowers and insects, she ventured into more ambitious figure-based projects.

Competing with Frans Hals, Leyster chose remarkably similar themes: portraits, children playing, dancing musicians and a drinking actor.

She is also known for her innovative and evocative night scenes, in which she experimented with the subtle effects of light and dark.

Judith Leyster | Two Children with a Cat, 1629

Like her choice of subject, her brushwork was bold: loose, but poignant.

In 1633, Judith Leyster gained the recognition she deserved.

She became the first woman to be admitted as a master painter to the prestigious Painters' Guild, thus obtaining the right to establish her own workshop and take on pupils.