Denis (or Denys or Denijs) Calvaert (; around 154016 April 1619) was an
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, -born
Flemish painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
, who lived in
Italy for most of his life, where he was known as Dionisio Fiammingo
() or simply Il Fiammingo ("the Fleming"). Calvaert was a profound student of
architecture,
anatomy, and
history. His works are characterized by their advanced composition and colouring.
Calvaert is well known for his drawings and small copper paintings.
Some of his best known works include his rendition of The Resurrection of Christ and Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness.
Biography
After studying
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
-painting for some time in his native city
(the Antwerp "Record of Artists" or "
Liggeren" (1556–57), gives his name as Caluwaert), he first studied under
Christiaen van Queecborn.
He then went to
Bologna, where he apprenticed under
Prospero Fontana. His paintings acquired the
mannerism
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
of
Flemish art and appeared to be the work of an Italian. From Bologna he went to
Rome in 1572, where he assisted
Lorenzo Sabbatini in his works for the papal palace of the
Vatican, and devoted much of his time to copying and studying the works of
Raphael Sanzio.
He returned to Bologna and founded a studio. He had a number of prominent young apprentices, including
Guido Reni
Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...
,
Giovanni Battista Bertusio,
Francesco Albani and
Domenichino,
who soon followed
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of th ...
's example and took prominent commissions in Rome.
Vicenzio Gotti,
Francesco Gessi
Francesco Gessi (20 January 1588 – 1649) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna.
Biography
Born to a noble family, his father noticed his attraction to the arts and placed him in the apprenticeship with De ...
, and
Giacomo Semenza
Giovanni Giacomo Semenza (18 July 1580 – 1638) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque period. Born in Bologna and also known as ''Giacomo Sementi''. He was a pupil of the painter Denis Calvaert, then of Guido Reni. Among his pupils wer ...
also worked in his studio, before joining the studio of Guido Reni.
Vincenzo Spisanelli
Vincenzo Spisanelli (1595–1662) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna.
Spisanelli was born at Orta San Giulio, Piedmont. He was a pupil of Denis Calvaert in Bologna, but was also active in Ferrara, Imola
...
and
Gabriello Ferrantini
Gabriello Ferrantini, also known as Gabriel degli Occhiali, was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna in the late 16th and early 17th century. He was a pupil of the painter Denis Calvaert and Francesco Gessi. Among his ...
worked under Calvaert as well.
Calvaert was respected by his fellow citizens in Bologna and by his colleagues, as shown by the presence of
Ludovico Carracci, then leader of a competing studio, accompanied by all of his students, at Calvaert's funeral in the
Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi.
Style and legacy
Calvaert typically used
chiaroscuro techniques to set stylized foreground figures derived from
Correggio against northern European landscapes. His use of colour also reflects the influence of
Barocci. While continuing to pursue a
mannerist aesthetic throughout his career, Calvaert became a significant contributor the brand of classicism that came to characterize the
Bolognese school of painting from the start of the 17th century.
[ ]
His principal works are to be seen at Bologna,
Florence,
St. Petersburg,
Parma, and
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[National Art Gallery of Bologna
The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the ...]
, while "St Michael", one of his most renowned works is displayed at the
Basilica of San Petronio.
Other paintings and drawings by Calvaert can be found at the
Louvre in Paris (unde
Dionys Calvaert, The
Met Museum in New York (unde
Denijs Calvaert, The
British Museum,
The Morgan,
Museo Nacional del Prado
The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
, and the
Museum & Gallery in Greenville, South Carolina.
Works
File:Denys Calvaert (Antwerp 1540- Bologna 1619) - The Assumption of the Virgin - RCIN 405738 - Royal Collection.jpg, The Assumption of the Virgin, Royal Art Collection
File:Denys Calvaert - The Conversion of Saint Paul.jpg, The Conversion of Saint Paul ( Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest)
File:Denis Calvaert - Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine - Google Art Project.jpg, Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
File:Calvaert Noli me tangere 01.jpg, Noli me tangere
File:Denys Calvaert - The Death of Saint Peter Martyr - Google Art Project.jpg, Death of Saint Peter Martyr (Denijs Calvaert)
File:Lorenzo Sabatini y Denys Calvaert Sagrada Familia con San Juanito y San Miguel arcángel San Giacomo Maggiore Bolonia.jpg, ''Holy Family with Saint John and Archangel Michael'', San Giacomo Maggiore, Bologna
File:Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine (Denys Calvaert).jpg, Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine
File:Denijs calvaert, la vigilanza.jpg, La Vigilanza by Denijs Calvaert
File:Calvaert Rest on the flight into Egypt.jpg, Rest on the Flight into Egypt
File:Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne... by Denys Calvaert.jpg, ''Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne''
File:Denis Calvaert 001.jpg, The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (National Galleries of Scotland
National Galleries of Scotland ( gd, Gailearaidhean Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the National Collections o ...
)
File:Denys Calvaert - Virgin and Child in a Rocky Landscape.jpg, Virgin and Child in a Rocky Landscape
File:Denijs calvaert, san giovanni evangelista.jpg, San Giovanni Evangelista
Notes
References
*
External links
*
Denys Calvaert On-Line ArtCyclopedia.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvaert, Denis
1540 births
1619 deaths
16th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
17th-century Italian painters
Italian Renaissance painters
Flemish Renaissance painters
Painters from Bologna
Flemish Mannerist painters
Artists from Antwerp
Italian Mannerist painters