In 1655 he joined the painters’ guild in Delft. De Hooch first started his career with genre paintings featuring soldiers and from the mid 1650s started focusing on courtyards and interiors enlivened with just a few people engaging in domestic activities or merrymaking. These paintings, with their tantalising vistas through windows and corridors, offer glimpses into the lives and homes of the 17th-century bourgeoisie. The painter moved to Amsterdam probably in 1660, and from then on gave his households a more elegant and opulent appearance. While an artistic genius, his painting fetched relatively modest prices during his lifetime and he likely had trouble making ends meet. Although the date of De Hooch’s death is unknown, his last painting dates from 1684.
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