Jan Hermansz van Bijlert (1597 or 1598 – November 1671) was a

Dutch Golden Age painter Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republi ...

from

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

, one of the

Utrecht Caravaggisti Utrecht Caravaggism ( nl, Utrechtse caravaggisten) refers to the work of a group of artists who were from, or had studied in, the Dutch city of Utrecht, and during their stay in Rome during the early seventeenth century had become distinctly infl ...

whose style was influenced by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of h ...

. He spent some four years in Italy and was one of the founders of the

Bentvueghels The Bentvueghels (Dutch for "Birds of a Feather") were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent ("painters' clique"). Activities The members, which included ...

circle of northern painters in Rome.

Biography

Jan van Bijlert was born in

, the son of the

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

worker Herman Beernts van Bijlert. He may have had some training by his father. Subsequently, he became a student of

Abraham Bloemaert Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was initially working in the style of the " Haarlem Mannerists", but in the 16th century altered his style in line with the ...

. Like other painters from Utrecht, he travelled in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

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 ...

. In 1621 he was, along with

Cornelis van Poelenburch Cornelis van Poelenburgh or Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594 – 12 August 1667),Cornelis van Poelenburch
...

and Willem Molijn, a founding member of the circle of Dutch and Flemish artists in

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 ...

known as the

. It was the custom among the Bentvueghels to adopt a nickname. Van Bijlert's nickname was "Aeneas". By 1625, he had returned to Utrecht, where he married and joined the schutterij. In 1630, he became a member of the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke and the Reformed church. From 1632 to 1637 he was active as deacon of the guild, and in 1634 he was appointed regent of the Sint-Jobsgasthuis. In 1639, he helped form a painter's school, the "Schilders-College", where he served as regent. He died in Utrecht.Jan van Bijlert
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

Work

Jan van Bijlert - The Concert - WGA02183

Jan van Bijlert was a very prolific painter who left some 200 pictures. Upon his return from Rome he, like other Utrecht artists who had come under the influence of Caravaggio's work, painted in a style derived from that of Caravaggio. These Utrecht artists are referred to as the

. The Caravaggesque style of van Bijlert's early paintings shows itself in the use of strong

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 ...

, the cutting off of the picture plane to create a close-up image and the realism of the representation. Van Bijlert continued to paint in this style throughout the 1620s.Paul Huys Janssen. "Bijlert, Jan van." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 13 Jul. 2014. Around 1630, van Bijlert turned to a more classicising style, possibly under the influence of

Cornelis van Poelenburgh Cornelis van Poelenburgh or Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594 – 12 August 1667),Cornelis van Poelenburch
...

. His colours became lighter and his subject matter became more elevated such as religious scenes. In the 1630s he also painted compositions with small figures, usually representing genre scenes of brothels or musical gatherings. These works were similar to those of the Utrecht painter

Jacob Duck Jacob Duck (also ''Ducq, Duyck, Duick, Duc'') (1600 – buried 22/28 January 1667) was a Dutch painter and etcher.Jac ...

. Van Bijlert also painted the portraits of eminent citizens of Utrecht such as burgomasters and nobles. His pupils included

Bartram de Fouchier Bartram de Fouchier (February 14, 1609 – August 25, 1673) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Fouchier was born in Bergen op Zoom. Houbraken remarked that his father was a Frenchman who had come to visit the Netherlands for the Siege ...

Ludolf Leendertsz de Jongh Ludolf de Jongh or Ludolf Leendertsz. de Jongh ( Overschie, 1616 – Hillegersberg, 1679) was a Dutch painter, known for his genre scenes, hunting scenes, history paintings, landscapes, cityscapes and portraits.Mattheus Wijtmans Mattheus Wijtmans was a Brabantian painter, born in Den Bosch. (or ''Mathijs/Mathys Whytmans''). He lived for 10 years (1640-1650) in Gorinchem and died in 1689, Utrecht?) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Wytmans was a student of t ...

and Abraham Willaerts.

Gallery

File:Saint Sebastian attended by Saint Irene.jpg, ''

Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene is an incident in the legends of Saint Sebastian and Saint Irene of Rome. It was not prominent in the hagiographical literature until the late Renaissance, and is hardly seen in art before then. As an art ...

'', c. 1620s, (private collection) File:Jan van Bijlert - Venus Chastising Cupid - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Venus Chastising Cupid'' File:Jan van Bijlert - Girl with a flute - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Girl with a Flute'' File:Jan van Bijlert - Young Man Drinking a Glass of Wine - WGA02184.jpg, ''Young Man Drinking a Glass of Wine'', ca. 1625 File:Jan van Bijlert - Shepherd Holding a Flute - WGA02187.jpg, ''Shepherd Holding a Flute '' File:The Holy Family by Jan van Bijlert.jpg, ''The Holy Family'' File:Jan van Bylert (Werkstatt) Eine Kurtisane am Ohr einer Katze ziehend.jpg, ''Courtesan'' (workshop of van Bijlert)

Biography

Work

Gallery

References

Sources