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Carel Fabritius

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Carel Fabritius
Self-portrait (c. 1645)
BornBaptized 27 February 1622
Middenbeemster, Dutch Republic
Died12 October 1654 (age 32)
Delft, Dutch Republic

Carel Fabritius (bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter and one of Rembrandt's most gifted pupils.

Biography

Fabritius was born in Beemster, the ten-year old polder, as the son of Pieter Carelsz, a painter and schoolteacher. Initially he worked as a carpenter (Latin fabritius). In the early 1640s he studied at Rembrandt's studio in Amsterdam, along with his brother Barent Fabritius. In the early 1650s he moved to Delft, and joined the Delft painters' guild in 1652. He died young, caught in the explosion of the Delft gunpowder magazine on October 12, 1654, which destroyed a quarter of the city, along with his studio and many of his paintings. Only about a dozen paintings have survived.[1] Four of his paintings are in National collections in the United Kingdom.[2] According to Houbraken, his student Mattias Spoors and the church deacon Simon Decker died with him, since they were working on a painting together at the time. In a poem written by Arnold Bon to his memory, he is called Karel Faber.[1]

Of all Rembrandt's pupils, Fabritius was the only one to develop his own artistic style. A typical Rembrandt portrait would have a plain dark background with the subject defined by spotlighting. In contrast, Fabritius' portraits feature delicately lit subjects against light-coloured, textured backgrounds. Moving away from the Renaissance focus on iconography, Fabritius became interested in the technical aspects of painting. He used cool colour harmonies to create shape in a luminous style of painting.

Fabritius was also interested in complex spatial effects, as can be seen in the exaggerated perspective of A View of Delft, with a Musical Instrument Seller's Stall (1652). He also showed excellent control of a heavily loaded brush, as in The Goldfinch (1654). All these qualities appear in the work of Delft's most famous painters, Vermeer and de Hooch; it is likely that Fabritius was a strong influence on them.

  • A View of Delft (1652) exploring an exaggerated perspective
    A View of Delft (1652) exploring an exaggerated perspective
  • The Goldfinch (1654), showing Fabritius' use of cool colour harmonies, delicate lighting effects, and a light background
    The Goldfinch (1654), showing Fabritius' use of cool colour harmonies, delicate lighting effects, and a light background
  • The Sentry (1654)
    The Sentry (1654)
  • Young Man in a Fur Cap, a 1654 self-portrait
    Young Man in a Fur Cap, a 1654 self-portrait

List of works

Notes

  1. ^ a b Karel Fabricius biography in De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature
  2. ^ a b c Artworks by or after Carel Fabritius at the Art UK site

References

  • Carel Fabritius 1622 - 1654. Het complete oeuvre Frederik J. Duparc, Ariane van Suchtelen, Gero Seelig. ISBN 978-90-400-8987-9
  • The Oxford Dictionary of Art ISBN 0-19-280022-1
  • Biography at Residenzgalerie Salzburg
  • Olga's Gallery
  • Adventure's in Cybersound interest in unusual perspectives.
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