| An important minor master, generally classed among the "fine" painters of Leiden who followed Gerrit Dou,* Brekelenkam specialized in carefully rendered scenes of simple daily life. He concentrated on the lower middle classes in his portrayal of domestic activities, market scenes, and in his depictions of the humble existence of cobblers and tailors. In his painting style and technique he was quite independent of Dou. Brekelenkam's true merits as an artist have somewhat been clouded by the fact that his works have not been well preserved due to their thin, fine glazing, which has often been abraded or otherwise lost. Brekelenkam's career and development is still not clear. The key date that has come down to us is the year 1648, the year of his marriage and the year in which he and his fellow artists joined together to form the Leiden Guild of St. Luke. Records show that Brekelenkam and his first wife had six children between 1649 and 1655, the year of her death. Brekelenkam married again in 1656 and he died in 1688, the year in which his last child was born. Brekelenkam's earliest surviving dated work is the Woman Combing a Child's Hair (dated 1648, Leiden, Stedelijk Museum), though it is thought that this work reflects the mature artist and that there must have been a number of earlier works. A painting depicting the Interior of a Pharmacy is thought to have been dated 1638, but its present whereabouts are unknown. Another of his favorite subjects, the tailor's shop, was painted at least thirteen times. In these and other works, Brekelenkam elicits a sense of calm, peace, and order through the depiction of steady and earnest labor. |
