Genre paintings like those by Johannes Vermeer and Pieter De Hooch became popular in the Netherlands in the 17th century. These works inspired eighteenth-century French painters who also sought to depict everyday life, whether through careful realism in the works of Chardin or the romanticized paintings of Watteau.
Genre paintings have been created wherever artists seek to celebrate and record the everyday experiences of the middle class. The works of American illustrator Norman Rockwell could exemplify a more modern type of genre painting. Today, genre paintings can also provide an window into the everyday life of a bygone era.