Hendrick Goltzius
(1558 - 1617) |
|
Greek Mythologies, Portraiture, Secular Narratives, Historical Narratives Art Work
| Name: |
Hendrick Goltzius |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Muhlbracht |
| Nationality: |
Dutch |
| Birth: |
1558 |
| Death: |
1617 |
| Website: |
|
| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
|
|
Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Greek Mythologies, Portraiture, Secular Narratives, Historical Narratives |
| Medium: |
|
| Method: |
|
| Style: |
Early Northern Baroque |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Printmaking
Draughtsman
Painting |
|
|
Biography
| Primarily a draftsman and a printmaker, Hendrick Goltzius was also a gifted painter who took up the brush to execute history paintings after roughly 1600. Though mannerist in his stylistic orientation, Goltzius also introduced elements of careful observation from real life (in his still-life elements, his portraitlike heads); and his fusion of idealism with realism was very important for the development of his pupils Pieter de Grebber* and Werner van den Valckert. Goitzius was first the pupil of his father, a glass painter, and then studied engraving with Dirck Volkertsz Coornhert and Philip Galle. In 1576y7 he traveled to Haarlem; in 1559 he married Adriaen Matham's widow, in 1582 he set up his own print shop, inspired by the extensive work he had done for Galle in Antwerp. He worked also with Karel van Mander and Cornelisz van Haarlem. From 1590 to 1591 he traveled to Venice, Bologna, Florence, Naples, and Rome. His return from Italy introduced a highly productive period of engraving. Goitzius is noted for his technical virtuosity and his brilliant draftsmanship. His innovations include the swelled-line method. He is called the founder of the mannerist school of Dutch engravings, which included Jacob de Gheyn I and II, Jan Muller, Jacob Matham, Jan Saenrcdam, and Zacharias Dolendo. Despite a right hand crippled by fire, Goitzius became a master draftsman. His drawings include life-sized figures and a self-portrait. Van Mander described him as the Proteus or Vertumnus of Art, with as many styles as Ovidian heroes have disguises. His ability to change styles found its most famous expression in his six engravings of the Life of the Virgin, done in the manner of six different famous artists, and it brought him international renown. After 1600 Goitzius ceased engraving and began his career as a history painter. In this period he also began making studies of panoramic views of the Dutch landscapes, which rank him among the earliest experimenters in landscape. His perfection as draftsman and engraver did not always find a counterpart in his painting. His earliest attempts at painting are small, and later ones are life-sized or over-life-sized figures in mythological or historical subjects. Although some paintings are criticized for lack of integation, his best and most successful pictures use a limited number of figures, which are better integrated into the space they occupy. |
Samples of Work
|
|
