Hendrik Goltzius

• Mannerism • Wikipedia: Hendrik Goltzius
179 Discovered works of art • ID: #13246

The native of Lower Rhine Hendrick Goltzius came from a family with a long artistic tradition. His great-grandfather and his grandfather were painters in Venlo. His father Jan Goltz II was also a respected painter specializing in stained glass from Duisburg in Germany. Born in the late 16th century, Dutch art theorist Karel van Mander I was not only a friend of the family, but also the first biographer to write about the artist Hendrick Goltzius. In his texts it can be read that Goltzius had taken lessons as a young man with the draftsman Dirck Volckertz Coornhert. Goltzius moved with his teacher in 1576 from Xanten to Haarlem. Three years later, the young man married the widow Margaretha Jansdr. Margaretha took her eight-year-old son Jacob into the marriage. Goltzius was not only an important father figure for Jacob, but also his teacher. Jacob became a respected graphic artist thanks to Goltzius' professional guidance.

Goltzius was also known as a graphic designer. He produced prints and drawings using a variety of techniques. The gifted artist mastered the craft with metal pen, brush and ink and chalk. Goltzius is also considered a master in the technique of pen painting invented by him, in which a pen is used directly on the canvas. In this way, the impression of a print is modeled. His contemporaries admired him for his large, monochromatic works. Decisive for this were Goltzius' attention to detail and the innovative process of his craft.

Goltzius' early work from the late 1580s is still strongly influenced by international mannerism. Mannerism is characterized by long, dark figures and highly dynamic compositions, as can be seen in works by the Flemish artist Bartholomaeus Spranger. Goltzius made engravings after Sprangers drawings, which brought his friend and biographer Van Mander from Prague. In 1590 Goltzius traveled to Italy and stayed there for a full six months. Supposedly he wanted to recover from an illness there. He uses his time in Rome for the intensive study of ancient sculptures and the human body. As a result, his own artistic work began to establish itself and his art became increasingly classic.

Back in his native Netherlands, the talented draftsman extended his craft repertoire to include painting. As he grew older, his eyesight became weaker. This played a major role in Goltzius' decision to switch to painting, which did not require high precision such as printmaking. However, some art historians also believe that this reorientation has been made by Van Mander. Van Mander himself perceived painting as the highest art form. Perhaps this opinion influenced his confidant Goltzius, who greatly valued Van Mander.

In 1612 Goltzius was honored to be personally visited by the famous artist Peter Paul Rubens . Rubens was on the lookout for the best reproductive engraver and had traveled all the way to Haarlem. The commission to produce prints after his paintings finally gave Rubens to graphic designer Lucas Emil Vorsterman, who was one of Goltzius' most gifted assistants. © Meisterdrucke

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Hendrik Goltzius