One feature of seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting is its focus on daily life. It was not uncommon for artistic beauty to find itself challenged by the claim to aesthetic truths. What was once a novelty in Netherlandish art, however, has lost none of its charisma for today's viewers. This illustrated volume offers evidence of this in a fascinating dialogue between the historic masters of genre painting and the shooting stars of contemporary art. Works by Johannes Vermeers, Pieter de Hoochs, and other painters meet Stefan Marx's contemporary typefaces and Lars Eidinger's photographs. This unique synopsis not only reveals historic distinctions but the surprising similarities in themes and pictorial inventiveness are captivating.