Cornelis Pietersz Bega
(1631 - 1664) |
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Genre Subjects Art Work
| Name: |
Cornelis Pietersz Bega |
| Gender: |
Unknown |
| Place of Birth: |
Haarlem |
| Nationality: |
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| Birth: |
1631 |
| Death: |
1664 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Genre Subjects |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
Oil, Etching |
| Style: |
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| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
Etcher
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Biography
| One of the most important painters of low-life genre in the circle of Adriaen van Ostade, Bega deserves to be better known. The son of a goldsmith, Pieter Jansz Begijn (or Begga), Bega was the grandson of the painter Cornells Cornlisz van Haarlem.* Although scarcely documented, Bega's birth can be approximated from a record of April 1650 that lists Bega's age as eighteen. He lived briefly in a house on the Roningstraat that belonged to his grandfather (documents have him living there by 1634), and later the family purchased a house on Begijnestraat, where they lived until 1652. Not much else is known about Bega. Houbraken* reports that he was Adriaen van Ostade's best pupil, and there is reason to believe Bega traveled to Italy (a drawing ascribed to him in the Schloss Museum, Weimar is signed "Bega Romae"). In 1653 he traveled briefly to Germany and Switzerland with three other artists: Vincent Laurensz van der Vinne (who documented the trip), The"odor Helmbreker, and Guilliam (Willem) de Bois. Back in Haarlem by June 1653, Bega joined the Haarlem painter's guild in 1654. Dated works are known from 1650, and he was active until his death from the plague in 1664. He was buried in St. Bavo's Church. Bega specialized in merry companies and domestic scenes involving peasant life in kitchens as well as tavern scenes. Such subjects were doubtless learned from his teacher. Bega expanded his repertoire to include portrayals of the lives of the upper classes and artisans – these works are regarded as his most original and appealing. In particular, his single-figured works, such as a Woman Dozing in an Interior (dated 1663, private collection), are of exceptional quality, the figures firmly and skillfully rendered, the light and tonality subtle. In addition to painting, Bega drew extensively and made etchings. Bega's paintings have a richer and more intense psychological emphasis than van Ostade's. He juxtaposed humor and satire with pathos or melancholy a mood often achieved by the dark, somewhat gloomy lighting of his settings, from which he picked out a few elements of color such as a blue jug or a white bodice. He understood the narrative potential of silhouette and had an excellent sense of texture and gesture. Despite his connection with van Ostade, Bega is an original figure whose work is still too little appreciated. |
Samples of Work
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