Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten (1627 – 1678) was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age, who was also been a poet and author on art theory.
When he was 13 years old, his father died and Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten moved to Amsterdam where he entered the workshop of Rembrandt.
He later traveled to Vienna, Rome and London and he was working as painter of portraits.
His works show that he imitated different styles at different times and he was also skilled at trompe-l’œil, paintings of architecture and construction of “perspective boxes”.
In 1678, was published his work “Introduction to the High School of the Art of Painting”, which includes reminiscences of his stay in Rembrandt’s studio and is a valuable source of information about Rembrandt’s views on painting. It also criticizes Rembrandt for his excessive naturalism.
