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 Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

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 ...

, who lived in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

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 Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...

, and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. 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 Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

, where he apprenticed under

Prospero Fontana Prospero Fontana (1512–1597) was a Bolognese painter of late Renaissance and Mannerist art. He is perhaps best known for his frescoes and architectural detailing. The speed in which he completed paintings earned him commissions where he work ...

. 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 Ital ...

Flemish art The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often v ...

and appeared to be the work of an Italian. From Bologna he went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1572, where he assisted

Lorenzo Sabbatini Lorenzo Sabbatini or Sabatini, Sabattini or Sabadini (c. 1530–1576), sometimes referred to as Lorenzino da Bologna, was an Italian painter of the Mannerist period from Bologna. Biography Sabbatini was born in Bologna and studied with ...

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 religi ...

Giovanni Battista Bertusio Giovanni Battista Bertusio (also spelled Bertucci or Bertuzzi; 1577–1644) was a painter of the early-Baroque period, active in Bologna. He trained initially under Denys Calvaert, then under Ludovico and Agostino Carracci. He married the painte ...

Francesco Albani Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter who was active in Bologna (1591–1600), Rome (1600–1609), Bologna (1609), Viterbo (1609–1610), Bologna (1610), Rome (1610–1617) ...

and

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a sho ...

, who soon followed Annibale Carracci's example and took prominent commissions in Rome. Vicenzio Gotti, Francesco Gessi, and Giacomo Semenza also worked in his studio, before joining the studio of Guido Reni. Vincenzo Spisanelli and Gabriello Ferrantini 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 Ludovico (or Lodovico) Carracci (21 April 1555 – 13 November 1619) was an Italian, early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker born in Bologna. His works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering light th ...

, then leader of a competing studio, accompanied by all of his students, at Calvaert's funeral in the

Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi Santa Maria dei Servi is a Roman Catholic basilica in Bologna, Italy. It was founded in 1346, as the church of the Servite Community of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was designed by Andrea da Faenza, a head friar and architect who also assisted A ...

Style and legacy

Calvaert typically used

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

techniques to set stylized foreground figures derived from

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sens ...

against northern European landscapes. His use of colour also reflects the influence of

Barocci Federico Barocci (also written ''Barozzi'')(c. 1535 in Urbino – 1612 in Urbino) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and i ...

. While continuing to pursue a

mannerist 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 Ita ...

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 Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, and Caen. Some of his paintings were lost in WWII and therefore only his etchings of those pieces remain. Calvaert's painting of The Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist was one of the few that was returned to the family through Nazi-Era Provenance Research. Many of his pieces are on display at the National Art Gallery of Bologna, while "St Michael", one of his most renowned works is displayed at the

Basilica of San Petronio The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Petronius of Bol ...

. Other paintings and drawings by Calvaert can be found at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in Paris (unde
Dionys Calvaert
, The

Met Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York (unde
Denijs Calvaert
, The

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, The Morgan, Museo Nacional del Prado, 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 The Museum of Fine Arts ( hu, Szépművészeti Múzeum �seːpmyveːsɛti ˈmuːzɛum is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art. It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclecti ...

) 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 The Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore is an historic Roman Catholic church in Bologna, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy, serving a monastery of Augustinian friars. It was built starting in 1267 and houses, among the rest, the Bentivoglio Chapel, f ...

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) 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