Jason Charming the Dragon 1681 - 1684

'Jason Charming the Dragon' was painted by Frans de Jong, sometime between 1664 and 1705, with oil paint on canvas. Oil paint has a wonderful capacity for blending. Notice how the artist uses it to create a continuous surface of shifting tone, especially in the dragon. De Jong has not laboured on minute details. He is more interested in the interplay of dark and light, which makes the scene dramatic. This loose approach aligns the work with the ‘schilderachtig’ style, prized in the Netherlands at the time. The term literally means ‘painterly,’ but it was used to describe a taste for rough, seemingly unrefined treatments. The concept was related to the idea of ‘sprezzatura’, or studied carelessness. This aesthetic can also be connected to class. The nobility could afford to seem as though they were not trying too hard – unlike the working classes, who depended on strenuous toil. This work offers a glimpse into the values of its era. A reminder that aesthetics are never neutral.