The Night School, Gerard Dou, c. 1660 - c. 1665
oil on panel, h 74cm × w 64cm More details
Light and dark, virtue and vice are juxtaposed here. Bathed in bright candlelight, a girl earnestly recites her lesson, while in the shadows the schoolmaster admonishes a boy. In the foreground, a second pupil, candle in hand, helps another with his schoolwork. The candlelight here symbolizes reason.