At first glance, 17th century painting and social advertising have little in common. Yet, that could not be further from the truth. In fact, we can learn all sorts of lessons from the great masters of the past.
Visual language is more important than ever. Every social post, every social ad, every profile photo: they are all little paintings. Compiled with great care, aware of how we come across, what message we send with it. It is not without reason that companies, but also individuals, pay a lot of attention to how they are portrayed on social channels, literally. Not without reason: via these channels you leave a lasting impression – literally – and you also communicate directly with your followers.
The importance of visual language is certainly not new. It is not even something phone number list from this or the previous century. Ever since mankind, images have been an important way to express ourselves and communicate. Through painting, for example. That discipline rose to new heights during the 16th and especially the 17th century through grand masters such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan Steen. The visual language from that time still contains important lessons. A tour of the Mauritshuis therefore quickly yields valuable lessons for social marketers:
1. Don't present yourself as better than you are
Portraits were an important art form for 16th and 17th century painters. It gave people the opportunity to show their status. It also had a practical function: the person portrayed could present themselves to potential marriage partners. In that sense, it was comparable to a service like Tinder today.