Arnold Houbraken: Difference between revisions

{{short description|PainterDutch frompainter the Northern Netherlands(1660–1719)}}

Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadtwisting'' (Twyndraat) from Johannes de Haan, who introduced him to engraving. After two years he then studied art with [[Willem van Drielenburch]], who he was with during the [[rampjaar]], the year 1672. He then studied 9 months with [[Jacobus Leveck]] and finally, four years with [[Samuel van Hoogstraten]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arthistorians.info/houbrakena |title=Dictionary for Art Historians |publisher=arthistorians.info|access-date= |accessdate=2012-06-13}}</ref> In 1685 he married Sara Sasbout, and around 1709 he moved from Dordrecht to Amsterdam. Arnold Houbraken painted [[mythological]] and religious paintings, portraits and landscapes. He is best known for the [[art history|art historical]] work ''[[The Great Theatre of Dutch Painters]]'' (1718–1721). When he died his son [[Jacobus Houbraken|Jacob]] assisted his mother with the last proofs of the manuscript before publishing. His first attempt at an instructive manual for artists was his [[Emblem book]], ''Inhoud van 't Sieraad der Afbeelding'', which was meant as a guide of possible painting themes. His registered pupils were [[Matthijs Balen]], [[Johan Graham]], and his son Jacob.<ref>[https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/39950 Arnold Houbraken] in the [[RKD]]</ref>

Arnold Houbraken's books sold quite well during the entire 18th century. [[Jacob Campo Weyerman]] published his updated version (1729–47) in serial form that was published as a complete set in 1769.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUxbAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA409&dqq=jacob+campo+weyerman&pg=RA1-PA409 |title=Jacob Campo Weyerman on Google books |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date= |accessdate=2012-06-13|last1=Weyerman |first1=Jacob Campo |year=1769 }}</ref> Houbraken's engravings of the artists are in some cases the only surviving portraits of these people.

The first to make a published sequel to Houbraken's work was [[Johan van Gool]] in 1750-511750–51.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9IwZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dqq=johan+van+gool |title=Johan van Gool in Google books |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date= |accessdate=2012-06-13|last1=Gool |first1=Johan van |year=1751 }}</ref> Though these books published well, with changing fashions, during the course of the 19th century Houbraken fell out of favor with art historians, especially when his sketches were found wanting, incorrect, or even slanderous. Houbraken was very careful to check and double check his sources, and today many of his personal judgements still stand up to our modern scrutiny. Attacks of his judgement due to the spelling of artist's names or accusations that he was nationalistic and deemed all of these artists as "Netherlandish" must be dismissed on the grounds that the various borders between the Netherlands, Germany, and Flanders were far from decided in the period during which he was writing, and spelling conventions in the Netherlands regarding names were only introduced by Napoleonic decree in the 1790s. Excepting those cases where the artist died quite young, or whose oeuvre was lost during various wars, very few artists were included in the ''Schouburg'' who do not hang in international museums today.

The first modern art historian to publish an update of his work was [[Adriaan van der Willigen]], in 1866.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kF5GAAAAYAAJ&dqq=Adriaan+van+der+Willigen |title=Adrian van der Willigen in Google books |via=[[Google Books]] |date=2008-09-02 |accessdateaccess-date=2012-06-13|last1=Eynden |first1=Roeland van |last2=Willigen |first2=Adriaan van der }}</ref> Since then he has remained a valuable resource for art historians.

* [[Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen]], [[Rotterdam]]<ref>[{{Cite web |url=http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en?q=houbraken%2C+arnold |title=Collection Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen] |access-date=1 September 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193629/http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en?q=houbraken,+arnold |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Category:ArtistsPainters from Dordrecht]]