Utrecht Caravaggism (Dutch:Utrechtse caravaggisten) refers to the work of a group of artists who were from, or had studied in, theDutch city ofUtrecht, and during their stay in Rome during the early seventeenth century had become distinctly influenced by the art ofCaravaggio.[1] Upon their return to the Dutch Republic, they worked in a so-called Caravaggist style, which in turn influenced an earlier generation of local artists as well as artists in Flanders. The key figures in the movement wereHendrick ter Brugghen,Gerrit van Honthorst andDirck van Baburen, who introduced Caravaggism into Utrecht painting around 1620. After 1630 the artists moved in other directions and the movement petered out. The Utrecht Caravaggisti painted predominantlyhistory scenes andgenre scenes executed in a realist style.[2]
Painters such asDirck van Baburen,Gerrit van Honthorst,Hendrick ter Brugghen andJan van Bijlert were all inRome in the 1610s, a time when thetenebroso of Caravaggio's later style was very influential.Adam Elsheimer, also in Rome at the same time, was probably also an influence on them. Back inUtrecht, they painted mythological and religioushistory subjects and genre scenes, such as the card-players and gypsies that Caravaggio himself had abandoned in his later career.
Utrecht was the most Catholic city in theUnited Provinces. Its population was about 40% Catholic in the mid-17th century and the rate was even higher among the elite groups, who included many rural nobility and gentry with town houses there.[3] It had previously been the main centre, afterHaarlem, ofNorthern Mannerist painting in the Netherlands.Abraham Bloemaert, who had been a leading figure in this movement, and taught van Honthorst and other artists, was receptive to the influence of his pupils. He changed his style many times before his death in 1651. The painterMatthias Stom is often associated with Utrecht Caravaggism. There is no evidence that he spent time in Utrecht or studied under any of the members of the movement. It is not even clear that he was Dutch rather than Flemish. His style is generally regarded as being close to that of van Honthorst.[4]
The brief flourishing of Utrecht Caravaggism ended around 1630. At that time, major artists had either died, as in the case of Baburen and ter Brugghen, or had changed style, like Honthorst's shift toportraiture and history scenes informed by theFlemish tendencies associated withPeter Paul Rubens and his followers. They left a legacy through their influence onRembrandt's use of chiaroscuro andGerrit Dou's "niche paintings" (a genre developed by Honthorst).
Along with otherCaravaggisti active in Italy and Woerden, they set the stage for later artists who worked in a Caravaggio-inspired manner such asGeorges de La Tour inLorraine. They may have also influenced Flemish Caravaggisti such asTheodoor Rombouts,Gerard Seghers,Jan Cossiers,Adam de Coster andJan Janssens, most of whom had spent time in Italy where they had been influenced first-hand by the same artists who had influenced the Utrecht Caravaggists.[5]
The Utrecht Caravaggisti painted mainly history paintings and genre scenes. They broke with the dominantNorthern Mannerism previously in favour in the Dutch Republic, preferring a heightened realism borrowed from Caravaggio. Their works were characterized by a direct and lifelike representation of figures in powerful compositions. They preferred the use ofchiaroscuro effects which raised the dramatic impact of their compositions which were filled with a small number of figures which are portrayed in close-up. The saints in their biblical compositions are depicted as ordinary people.[2]
Media related toUtrecht Caravaggisti at Wikimedia Commons