Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp
Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp (born December 1594 in Dordrecht , † 1652 in Dordrecht) was a Dutch painter of the 17th century. He probably received his first painting lessons from his father Gerrit Gerritsz. Cuyp. In 1617 he joined the Dordrecht Guild of St. Luke , which he also served as bookkeeper several times. A year later, in 1618, Jacob married Aertken van Cooten from Utrecht. Their only child, Aelbert Cuyp , was born in 1620.
life and work
As early as 1617 Jacob received the important commission to portray the masters of the Dutch mint. Numerous portraits of influential Dordrecht personalities followed, all in a clear, rather sober style. Jacob became known above all for his intense, finely crafted portraits of children, in which the figures are shown almost larger than life in a mostly dark room or in front of a landscape that has moved into the background, mostly with a toy or domestic but also farm animals in their arms (little dog , Geese, chicks).
Around 1627, Jacobs' style of painting was increasingly influenced by that of the so-called Utrecht Caravaggists , whose works, following the example of one of the most important Italian painters, Michelangelo Caravaggio , are characterized by a pronounced effect of light and shadow ( chiaroscuro ). Arnold Houbraken reports in his Grote Schouwburgh ( Amsterdam 1718–1719, a not always reliable collection of Dutch painter biographies) that Jacob continued his painting studies with Abraham Bloemaert , one of the best-known representatives of this particular Utrecht style. This influence is particularly evident in Jacob's simple but dramatically illuminated half-figures of the apostles Peter and Paul (Dordrechts Museum) or the Evangelist Luke ( Karlsruhe , Staatliche Kunsthalle ). Most remarkable is probably the Caravaggesque composition of his "Two Riders Sitting at a Table" ( Saint Petersburg , Hermitage ), in which Jacob pays great attention to even the smallest still life details. Overall, his work appears to be quite diverse: from the important portraits to biblical and historical depictions to various still lifes and landscapes, mainly of course the Dordrecht area. The latter were highlighted as particularly noteworthy for Jacob's art, especially in older biographies. In addition, Jacob made himself a teacher not only to his half-brother Benjamin Gerritsz. Cuyp and his son Aelbert a name, but also other Dordrecht painters, such as Ferdinand Bol (before he went to Rembrandt ) or Paulus Lesire.
Jacobs's last signed and dated picture, “Boy with a Wine Glass and a Flute”, dates from 1652. In the same year his wife Aertken is listed in the files as a widow.
swell
- Grove Dictionary of Art , Grove Art Online . Entry "Jacob (Gerritsz.) Cuyp"
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cuyp, Jacob Gerritsz. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cuyp, Jacob |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1594 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dordrecht |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1652 |
| Place of death | Dordrecht |