1592 -1656 · Utrecht, Rome and European Caravaggio

Hidden candles, faces emerging from the shadows and court portraits make Gerrit van Honthorst a European master of theatrical light.

Gerrit van Honthorst was born in Utrecht in 1592 and trained with Abraham Bloemaert. He left young for Rome, where his presence is attested in the 1610s. Hosted for a time at the Giustiniani Palace, he studied the works of Caravaggio and painters who then renewed chiaroscuro. His large religious scenes and nocturnal meetings use an often hidden light source: candle, torch or flame reveals faces, makes fabrics shine and cuts out gestures in the dark. This mastery earned him the nickname in Italy of Gherardo delle Notti, Gérard des Nuits. Returning to Utrecht in 1620, Honthorst became one of the main Caravaggios of Utrecht. Musicians, players, drinkers, matchmakers and religious figures transpose Roman innovations into a clearer, more colorful and immediately theatrical language. His success became international. In 1628, he worked in London for Charles I and painted a vast allegory for the Queen of Bohemia. He then received numerous commissions from the court of The Hague and European princely families. His style then evolved towards elegant portraits and luminous allegories, very different from his Roman nocturnals. He then led an important workshop, taught and produced numerous preparatory drawings. Died in Utrecht in 1656, Honthorst thus linked two careers: that of the dramatic Caravaggesque and that of the sought-after court portraitist. The "Gerrit van Honthorst" selection notably compares The Holy Family and Christ crowned with thorns. His reading favors color.

Honthorst uses light as a director: she chooses the face, reveals the gesture and transforms darkness into dramatic space.