1566 -1651 · Utrecht, mannerism, chiaroscuro and graphic invention

Powerful bodies, bold colors, pastoral landscapes and dramatic light make Abraham Bloemaert the great conduit between mannerism, Caravaggio and classicism in Utrecht.

Abraham Bloemaert was born in Gorinchem in 1566 into the family of the sculptor and architect Cornelis Bloemaert. Installed in Utrecht since childhood, he received several local training courses before staying in Paris at the beginning of the 1580s, notably in the entourage of Hieronymus Francken. After a stint in Amsterdam, he returned permanently to Utrecht in 1593 and built an exceptionally long career there. His first compositions adopted the energy of Nordic mannerism: tense anatomy, scholarly poses, agitated draperies and acidic colors. Bloemaert, however, continued to transform his language. He observed the naturalism of the Caravaggesques of Utrecht, delving deeper into chiaroscuro and gradually gives more space to popular figures, landscapes and pastoral scenes. Catholic in a city that became Protestant, he received numerous religious commissions from the southern Netherlands and designed altarpieces, devotional images and biblical subjects. His studio became one of the city's main training centers. His sons Hendrick, Cornelis, Adriaen and Frederik followed artistic careers, while many major painters went through his teaching. His sons Hendrick, Cornelis, Adriaen and Frederik followed artistic careers, while many major painters went through his teaching. His sons Hendrick, Cornelis, Adriaen and Frederik followed artistic careers, while many major painters went through his teaching. His daily drawing practice explains the variety of his work: expression heads, hand studies, animals, peasants, trees, draperies and entire compositions also serve as models for engravers. In The Preaching of Saint John the Baptist, a lively individualized crowd unfolds in a landscape which unites sacred narrative and social observation. His allegories, his mythological scenes and his old men show the same attention to character, material and lighting. Remaining active until an advanced age, Bloemaert died in Utrecht in 1651. His importance lies as much in his production as in his capacity for transmission: he gave several generations of painters a repertoire of gestures, figures and luminous solutions which links the Mannerist 16th century to Dutch Baroque. The "Abraham Bloemaert" selection notably compares Allegory of Winter and love and The Preaching of Saint John the Baptist. Its reading favors the material.

At Bloemaert, drawing is a living memory: each hand, each drape and each face can become the core of a new story.