Styrofoam Dutch Masters

Translucence, luminescence: these are the words used to describe the particular light found in the Dutch Golden Age of painting. According to PSFK, the same might be said of non-biodegradable packing materials, at least in the hands of photographer Suzanne Jongmans. The artist restages the self-possessed quietude of the past with the lowliest of discards, sheets of packing foam. The 17th century style of portraiture she mimics-- characterized by the subtle light of the Netherlands-- flourished with the rise of a Dutch mercantile class. While Jongman's photographs might be about as class as well, they most certainly are about commerce. Her Farthingales are waterproof, shock resistant, and will last a lifetime.