Spanish and Dutch Painters
Gerrit van Honthorst, Jan Asselyn, Bartolomé Murillo, Frans Post
Which 17th-century European artist was known for night scenes, had a deformed hand, established a public art academy, or captured scenes of the New World?
Q. What artist was known in Italy as “Gherardo delle Notti”?
A. Gerrit van Honthorst
Honthorst - also known as Gerard van Honthorst - (1592-1656) was a Utrecht native and the son of a painter of tapestry cartoons. He became known for nocturnal pictures, usually religious subjects, where a single candle served as the light source in which the rays dramatized the subject matter. The lighting effects were influenced by those of Caravaggio's works. Honthorst's night paintings caused such a sensation in Rome that he was known as “Gherardo delle Notti” (Gerard of the Night Scenes).
Today his stunning painting “The Matchmaker” can be seen at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.
Q. What artist was nicknamed “Crabbetje” (little crab) because of his deformed hand?
A. Jan Asselyn
Asselyn - also spelled Asselijn - (1610-1652) was a Dutch landscape painter who spent about ten years in Italy around 1634 to 1644, becoming very much influenced by the Italian style. He became successful at real and imaginary Arcadian vistas inspired by the countryside of Italy. The term "Arcadia" describes a utopian paradise where serene pastoral folk dance, play instruments, drink, and relax in endless summer gardens. The theme was consistently a popular one with artists.
“The Threatened Swan,” Asselyn’s most famous painting (1652), however, is not in the Arcadian style but instead shows a bird boldly defending its nest against an encroaching dog. It has become a symbol of Dutch nationalism; today it can be visited in Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Q. What artist was the first Director of the Academy in Seville?
A. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Murillo (1618-1682) was a 17th-century Spanish Baroque painter primarily known for two types of paintings: those of children and those of religious subjects. They are similar in that both emphasize a joy of life. In Seville in 1660, Murillo established a public academy of art – the Academia de Bellas Artes – and became its first president. This was his period of greatest activity, and he received numerous important commissions, such as altarpieces for the Augustinian monastery and paintings for Santa María la Blanca (completed in 1665). While working on the painting for a wall of the monastery, Murillo fell from the scaffold. He died several months later from his injuries.
“Madonna in the Clouds” (1656) can today be seen at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Q. What artist was the first European artist to depict the landscapes of the New World?
A. Frans Post
Post (1612-1680) was a Dutch painter. In the 17th century, the newly independent nation of the Netherlands created a far-reaching network of trading posts and settlements from Nieuw Amsterdam (now New York) to Brazil, including western Africa, Indonesia, and India. One of the first European-trained artists to paint in the Americas, Post accompanied the newly appointed Dutch governor from 1637 to 1644 on an expedition to the colony of Brazil. Here he created paintings of Brazilian landscapes, plants, animals, and native peoples that were used to officially record aspects of the country. Post continued to paint South American landscapes for the duration of his career.
Post’s painting, “View of the Jesuit Church at Olinda, Brazil” (1665), currently hangs at the Detroit Institute of Art, USA.
Sources:
- Bailey, Colin J. The Art Quiz Book: 2000+ Questions on Painters and Paintings. Station Press: Scotland, 1995.
- Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, 2007.
