When he was twenty-five, Benjamin Moser moved to Holland for love. A new life, a new country, a new culture. He began visiting museums and discovered Dutch Golden Age painting: the works of two titans of art, Rembrandt and Vermeer, but also those of Hals, Fabritius, Pieter de Hooch, Jan Steen, Metsu, Avercamp, Saenredam, Ruisdael, Paulus Potter, Rachel Ruysch…

The author began exploring the lives and artistic legacy of these 17th-century artists who painted portraits, interiors of houses and churches, landscapes, biblical scenes, still lifes… And he started asking himself questions: Why do we create art, and why do we need it? What does it mean to have talent, and how can we develop the talent we have been given? Can an artist be content to be a mere follower of others, or must they aspire to be original? What is the artist's duty to others, to society, and to themselves? What is beauty, and how does it relate to taste? How can art help us shape our self-image and how can it help us shape our perception of others?

Lavishly illustrated, this book is a passionate and profound exploration of one of the most splendid and fascinating periods in the history of art and humanity. It is a journey through the lives and works of the painters who made it possible and an inquiry into the ultimate meaning of art and how it can help us better understand the world and our own lives.