Hendrick ter Brugghen

Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629)

At the age of fifteen Hendrick ter Brugghen left for Italy. He had already learned the art of painting from the Utrecht history painter Abraham Bloemaert. In Rome Ter Brugghen was enthralled by the work of Caravaggio - particularly his dramatic use of light and his preference for ordinary people as models. Ten years later, he returned to the Republic as one of the first CaravaggistsCaravaggistsCaravaggists are painters who worked in the style of the Italian master Caravaggio (1571-1610). Caravaggio's trademark was contrast between dark and light, while his models were often ordinary workmen. The Caravaggists adopted Caravaggio's chiaroscuro and his realism. By 1620, many painters in the Netherlands, especially in Utrecht, were emulating his expressive style. The most famous Utrecht Caravaggists are Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629), Gerard van Honthorst (1590-1656) and Dirck van Baburen (c. 1595-1624). They had discovered Caravaggio's work during a visit to Rome.. He worked closely with Dirck van Baburen, another Caravaggist, for some years. Ter Brugghen painted genre scenes of musicians and drinkers, as well as biblicalBibleThe word 'bible' comes from the Greek word 'biblos', which means book. In fact the Bible is not one, but a collection of many books. It divides into two parts, the Old and the New Testament, both comprising various groups of writings - the books of the Bible. The Old Testament contains the laws and history of the Jewish people from the Creation to pre-Roman times. The New Testament deals with Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. The accent is on his ministry, the Crucifixion and his Resurrection from death. Here too are the stories of Christ's first followers, the apostles. Christian teaching is founded on the Bible. and 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. scenes. The earliest dated work by Ter Brugghen is from 1616. The 'Adoration of the Magi' in the Rijksmuseum dates from 1619.