Hendrick Bloemaert

Key facts

Lived

1601–1672, Dutch

Movement

• Baroque

Works held in

17 museums^[1]

• Femme tenant une corbeille de fruits

  Musée Magnin

  Hôtel Lantin (Dijon), France

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Hendrick Bloemaert →

• What is Hendrick Bloemaert known for?+

  According to one source, Bloemaert was the leading representative of the Utrecht Mannerists and the director and founder of the Utrecht Guild of St Luke. He lived to be almost ninety years old and was a contemporary of Rembrandt.
• What is Hendrick Bloemaert's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Hendrick Bloemaert's 'most famous'. The phrase is subjective; fame is not measured or assigned in any consistent way. It is more useful to discuss the types of works he created, and the subjects he favoured. Bloemaert was a versatile artist who worked across a range of subjects and styles. He is known for history paintings, a specialism of the period. Additionally, he produced religious scenes, and mythological works. He was also a printmaker; his body of work includes many engravings and woodcuts. Bloemaert's drawings are highly regarded, and are found in major collections; these include figure studies, and compositional sketches. Bloemaert received commissions for altarpieces and other church decorations, particularly early in his career. These paintings contributed to his reputation within Utrecht and the wider region.
• What should I know about Hendrick Bloemaert's prints?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (circa 1601/02-1672) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker. He was the son of Abraham Bloemaert, a more famous painter who likely provided his initial artistic training. Hendrick worked in Utrecht. Although he produced paintings, Hendrick Bloemaert is better known for his prints. These consist mainly of reproductive engravings and etchings; that is, prints made after the designs of other artists. His prints after his father's drawings are particularly notable. These include a series of prints of hermits, and illustrations for a book, *Oorspronkelyk en Vermaard Begin der Nederlandsche Oorlogen*, on the Dutch Revolt. Hendrick Bloemaert also produced a series of prints after his own designs, including biblical scenes and allegorical subjects. These prints display a strong influence from his father's style, characterised by dramatic lighting and expressive figures. His printmaking technique is competent, if not especially innovative, and his prints were popular during his lifetime. Today, they offer insight into the artistic milieu of Utrecht during the 17th century, and the dissemination of Abraham Bloemaert's designs.
• What style or movement did Hendrick Bloemaert belong to?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (1601/02-1672) was a Dutch painter and printmaker. His career occurred during the rise of the Baroque style, which broadly comprised the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in European art. The Baroque can be seen as a 'middle term' between the Renaissance and the modern age. It was a renewal of creative activity, a second revolution of the wheel. Baroque and Renaissance artists faced similar tasks and worked for similar patrons: the court, the aristocracy, and the Church. They created churches, palaces, marble statues for altars and tombs, and paintings of biblical, classical, and mythological subjects. Baroque art originated in Italy, then spread to other European countries. It was resisted in Protestant countries such as Holland and Britain. The Baroque art that developed in northern Europe tended to emphasise realism in daily life, moving away from the emotional impact preferred by Catholic countries.
• What techniques or materials did Hendrick Bloemaert use?+

  Unfortunately, the provided texts do not contain information about the techniques and materials used by Hendrick Bloemaert. The passages discuss the practices of Jan van Scorel, Maarten van Heemskerck, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Scorel's Haarlem workshop (1527-1530) employed specific methods, such as a thin lead white layer over the ground and black chalk underdrawing. Heemskerck, initially a Scorel assistant, adopted similar techniques before developing his own style. Brueghel favoured opaque paint application for detailed work, while Rubens preferred translucent layers of glazes and scumbles. Brueghel would lay down solid areas of colour to differentiate space, such as light green in the foreground and blue hues for the distance. Without specific information about Bloemaert's methods, a detailed answer is impossible.
• When did Hendrick Bloemaert live and work?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (circa 1601/1602-1672) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He was born in Utrecht, and died there. He was the youngest son of Abraham Bloemaert, a very successful painter, and Judith van Schonenburg. Hendrick probably trained in his father's workshop, along with his older brothers, Cornelis and Adriaen. Like his brothers, he painted in the style of his father. His work included history paintings and religious subjects. Examples include "Moses Smiting the Rock" (location now unknown) and "The Four Evangelists" (Utrecht, Centraal Museum). Bloemaert joined the Utrecht Guild of Saint Luke in 1632. He served as dean of the guild in 1669. He seems to have remained in Utrecht throughout his career. Bloemaert never married. He lived in his father's house on the St Janskerkhof until his death in 1672.
• Where can I see Hendrick Bloemaert's work?+

  Paintings by Hendrick Bloemaert can be seen in various museums and collections. The Amsterdams Historisch Museum holds several works, as does the Museum Van Loon and the Ryksmuseum, all in Amsterdam. Outside of Amsterdam, Bloemaert's art can be found at the Koninklijk Museum van Schone Kunsten in Antwerp and Paleis Het Loo Nationaal Museum in Apeldoorn. In Berlin, the Gemildegalerie, Staatliche Museen has a number of his pieces. Other European locations include the Szépmiivészéti Muzeum in Budapest, the Musée d/Art et d'Histoire in Geneva, and the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Museen in Kassel. In London, you can find his work at The National Gallery, Kenwood House, and The Royal Collection. Other locations include the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, and the Narodni Galerie in Prague. In Rotterdam, the Museum Boymans Van Beuningen has examples. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the National Gallery of Art in Washington also have works by Bloemaert.
• Where was Hendrick Bloemaert from?+

  Jan van Bylert, a painter from Utrecht, was a student of Abraham Bloemaert. Paulus Bor, another 17th-century Dutch artist, was from Amersfoort. He spent time in Rome early in his career, then returned to Amersfoort, where he remained until his death. Gerard ter Borch, an elegant painter of society, studied with his father in Zwolle and later with Pieter Molyn in Haarlem. He travelled extensively before settling in Deventer. Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, a flower painter, was from Flanders. Jan de Bray was born and lived his life in Haarlem. Quiringh Gerritsz. Brekelenkam was from Leyden. Willem Buytewech worked mostly in Rotterdam, but spent time in Haarlem. Therefore, without additional information, the origin of Hendrick Bloemaert cannot be stated.
• Who did Hendrick Bloemaert influence?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (1601/02-1672) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He belonged to the Utrecht School. He is mainly known for history paintings and religious subjects. Bloemaert's father, Abraham Bloemaert, was his first teacher. Hendrick later studied with Gerrit van Honthorst. His pupils included his brother, Cornelis Bloemaert II, as well as Jan van Bronckhorst, Jacob Gerritsz Loef, and Nicolaes van Wieringen. His father, Abraham Bloemaert (1566-1651), had a much wider influence. Abraham taught the other Utrecht Caravaggisti, including Honthorst, Ter Brugghen, and Dirck van Baburen. These painters adopted a style influenced by Caravaggio's dramatic use of light and shadow. Abraham Bloemaert's studio was a centre for artistic innovation. He helped shape the development of Dutch art in the early 17th century. His influence extended beyond his immediate students. He affected the broader artistic community in Utrecht and beyond.
• Who influenced Hendrick Bloemaert?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (1601/02-1672) came from a family of artists. His father, Abraham Bloemaert, was a significant influence. Abraham taught Hendrick, along with his other sons, Cornelis and Adriaen. Hendrick’s early works show the impact of his father’s style. Abraham’s instruction provided a foundation for Hendrick's artistic development. Hendrick adopted Abraham’s interest in religious subjects. Many of Hendrick's paintings depict saints and biblical scenes. Beyond his father, Hendrick Bloemaert was also influenced by other artists. Scholars have noted the impact of Caravaggio and the Utrecht Caravaggisti on his work. The Utrecht Caravaggisti were Dutch artists who had travelled to Italy and were inspired by Caravaggio's dramatic use of light and shadow. Hendrick’s exposure to their techniques likely shaped his artistic approach. He may have encountered their paintings directly or through prints and copies.
• Who was Hendrick Bloemaert?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert (1564-1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker. He belonged to the generation of Rembrandt's teachers, although he was a contemporary of Rembrandt. Bloemaert was a leading figure of Utrecht Mannerism. In 1611, he was a founding member of the Utrecht Guild of St Luke. He also mentored other artists, including Gerrit van Honthorst, before Honthorst travelled to Italy. Bloemaert lived to be almost ninety years old, and he continued to work into the Baroque period. His peasant scenes contain Mannerist elements, such as a large distance between foreground objects and the horizon. Dutch painters adopted picturesque elements from Bloemaert's work, such as dilapidated cottages, damaged thatching, broken fences, and rotten tree trunks. His work creates a link between Flemish and Dutch painting. His mythological and biblical portrayals used the syntax of Flemish Mannerists, while his rural genre paintings influenced Dutch artists. A painting by Bloemaert, *The Flute Player*, dates to 1621.
• Why are Hendrick Bloemaert's works important today?+

  Hendrick Bloemaert was part of a generation of Netherlandish artists whose work has been overshadowed, even deliberately overlooked, by subsequent generations. Art history, particularly as it was codified in the 19th century, often searched for neat national narratives. This led to the exclusion of artists whose work did not fit easily into those narratives. Figures like Frans Floris, whose prints were widely copied and disseminated, became synonymous with mythology and allegory. However, his religious works were often ignored due to the political and religious climate of the newly formed Dutch Republic. This republic favoured a Protestant aesthetic, leading to the marginalisation of art associated with the previous Habsburg, Catholic order. Even though artists such as Peter Paul Rubens admired and quoted Floris's compositions, the broader appreciation of his work diminished outside of Antwerp. Later biographers often repeated earlier accounts, further solidifying a particular view of his artistic output. Modern scholarship seeks to re-evaluate these figures, understanding their work within its original context and recognising its cultural and spiritual resonance for contemporaries.