Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651)As a child, Bloemaert moved with his family to Utrecht. He went through no less than six masters. Having travelled to, among others, Paris and Amsterdam, in 1593 Bloemaert returned to Utrecht where he lived for the rest of his life. Abraham Bloemaert acquired a name in the course of his career for his paintings of mythologicalClassical mythology'Mythology' comes from the Greek word 'muthos', meaning the spoken word, or story. A myth is a story about gods or deities. Mythology is all the stories combined. In theory, all cultures have their own mythology. Usually, however, the word mythology refers to the stories of classical antiquity. In these the main protagonists are the gods of Greece and Rome. and religious subjects. Bloemaert - a pious CatholicCatholicThe word 'Catholic' derives from the Greek word kath'olon, meaning spread throughout the world. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest of all the groups in Christianity. This Church is governed by the central authority of the Pope in Rome, who is represented locally by bishops. In the Catholic Church the task or holding services (Mass) is reserved for celibate male priests, who are specially consecrated for this purpose by the bishop. This is the most striking difference with the Protestant Churches that have arisen since the Reformation in the 16th century. Another difference between Catholics and Protestants is in the practice of the faith: in the Catholic Church the emphasis is on the mediation of the priest between the believer and God, while in the Protestant Church the 'self-motivation' of the believer is more important. After the Reformation the Catholic Church endured considerable repression in Holland. It was only in the mid-19th century that it was permitted to re-establish its own bishoprics. - received numerous commissions from the Catholic Church. Originally a Mannerist, in the 1620s, when his career was at its height, his style began to change. Influenced by his pupils, including Gerard van Honthorst, he painted a number of works in the Caravaggist manner. |
