1597 -1664 · Haarlem, Dutch classicism and family workshop

Monumental figures, classical culture and creative versatility make Salomon de Bray a central personality in Haarlem's artistic life.

Salomon de Bray was born in Amsterdam in 1597 and died in Haarlem in 1664. Installed in this city at a very young age, he probably trained with Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem and Hendrick Goltzius. Painter, designer, architect, urban planner, poet and theorist, he embodies a humanist conception of the artist. He entered the guild of Saint-Luc in 1630, participated in its reorganization and became its leader several times. His history paintings and portraits combine the clarity of Dutch classicism with warm light and powerfully modeled figures. Young naked woman, half-bodied, combing her hair transforms an intimate gesture into a study of form and material. The body, the hair and arms compose a circular rhythm; the model remains natural while acquiring an almost ancient presence. De Bray also received architectural commissions and published a treatise on modern architecture in 1631, defending the built culture of Haarlem. His family studio played a major role: his sons Jan, Dirck and Joseph became artists and preserved designs, models and collaborative practices. In 1664, a plague epidemic took Solomon, his wife and several of their children. His work reminded us that the Dutch Golden Age was not limited to landscape or the genre scene: it also included a classical, scholarly and civic ambition. The selection " Salomon de Bray" notably compares Young naked woman, halfway through her body, combing her hair. His reading favors figures.

De Bray gives the daily gesture a classic gravity: combing becomes a study of rhythm, flesh and light.