Carel Fabritius
(February 27, 1622 - October 12, 1654) |
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historical narratives, genre, secular subjects Art Work
| Name: |
Carel Fabritius |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Midden-Beemster, Netherlands |
| Nationality: |
Dutch |
| Birth: |
February 27, 1622 |
| Death: |
October 12, 1654 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
historical narratives, genre, secular subjects |
| Medium: |
oil painting |
| Method: |
oil painting |
| Style: |
Dutch Golden Age |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
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Biography
Carel Fabritius is considered Rembrandt's most gifted and original pupil, and the only one of great significance to art history because of his singularly personal and profound interpretation of his master's style. He stands as an important link between the art of Rembrandt and Vermeer. His style developed beyond an imitation of Rembrandt into a quiet, analytical, yet sympathetic vision, infusing the most humble subjects with immense power and monumentality.
The son of a schoolmaster, Carel trained first as a carpenter from which occupation he adopted his surname. His brother Barend was also a painter. Carel is listed as a Rembrandt pupil between in 1641 and 1642 in Amsterdam. In 1643 he moved back to Midden Beemster, though he maintained his connections to Amsterdam. When Carel had moved to Amsterdam he was married, but that wife soon died. A child died in 1643 in Midden Beemster. In 1650 Fabritius remarried and is recorded as living in Delft.
In 1652 he became a member of the Delft painters' guild. He became famous as a painter of perspectives, and his arrival in Delft may have inspired artists like van Vliet and Emanuel de Witte. Fabritius's work probably also influenced Pieier de Hooch, and though earlier scholars thought Vermeer was an influence on Fabritius, it is now thought that Fabritius was an important influence on Vermeer. Fabritius's early works, such as can be known were histories clearly influenced by Rembrandt in the 1630s and were considered somewhat out of step.
In the 1640s it seems he stopped painting histories and apparently devoted himself to figure studies, genre, and perspective scenes. A number of small yet powerful head studies survive from this period, notably the Head of an Old Man Groningen, Groninger Museum. On October 12th 1654, Fabritius was painting the portrait of the former sexton of the Oude Kerk when the arsenal blew up, killing the artist, his patron, and the artist's mother in law. The explosion also destroyed most of Fabritius's work and prematurely ended the career of one of Holland's greatest painters.
The reputation of Fabritius now stands on four pictures done in the year of his death, 1654. The Watchman at the Gate (1654, Schwerin, Staatliches Museum), the Woman with Feathered Barrette and Pearl Jewelry signed and dated (1654, Hannover, NiedersSchsisches Landesmuseum), the Self-Portrait (London, National Gallery) and the Goldfinch (1654, The Hague, Mauritshuis). Fabritius' direct studies of form and light, atmosphere and space are remarkable antecedents to the nineteenth century Impressionists. |
Samples of Work
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