Denis Calvaert

Biography

After studying landscape-painting for some time in his native city (the Antwerp "Record of Artists" or "Liggeren" (1556–57), gives his name as Caluwaert), he first studied under Christiaen van Queecborn. He then went to Bologna, where he apprenticed under Prospero Fontana. His paintings acquired the mannerism of Flemish art and appeared to be the work of an Italian. In 1572, he moved to Rome, where he assisted Lorenzo Sabbatini in his works for the papal palace of the Vatican, and devoted much of his time to copying and studying the works of Raphael Sanzio.

He returned to Bologna and founded a studio. He took as a pupil the daughter of his mentor, Lavinia Fontana, and a number of prominent young apprentices, including Guido Reni, Giovanni Battista Bertusio, Francesco Albani and Domenichino, who soon followed Annibale Carracci's example and took prominent commissions in Rome. Vicenzio Gotti, Francesco Gessi, and Giacomo Semenza also worked in his studio, before joining the studio of Guido Reni. Vincenzo Spisanelli and Gabriello Ferrantini worked under Calvaert as well.

Style and legacy

Calvaert typically used chiaroscuro techniques to set stylized foreground figures derived from Correggio against northern European landscapes. His use of colour also reflects the influence of Barocci. While continuing to pursue a mannerist aesthetic throughout his career, Calvaert became a significant contributor to the brand of classicism that came to characterize the Bolognese school of painting from the start of the 17th century.

His principal works are to be seen at Bologna, Florence, St. Petersburg, Parma, and Caen. Some of his paintings were lost in WWII, and therefore, only his etchings of those pieces remain. Calvaert's painting of The Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist was one of the few that was returned to the family through Nazi-Era Provenance Research.

Many of his pieces are on display at the National Art Gallery of Bologna, while "St Michael", one of his most renowned works, is displayed at the Basilica of San Petronio.

Other paintings and drawings by Calvaert can be found at the Louvre in Paris (under Dionys Calvaert), The Met Museum in New York (under Denijs Calvaert), The British Museum, The Morgan, Museo Nacional del Prado, and the Museum & Gallery in Greenville, South Carolina.

Works

File:Denys Calvaert (Antwerp 1540- Bologna 1619) - The Assumption of the Virgin - RCIN 405738 - Royal Collection.jpg|The Assumption of the Virgin, Royal Art Collection File:Denys Calvaert - The Conversion of Saint Paul.jpg|The Conversion of Saint Paul (Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest) File:Denis Calvaert - Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine - Google Art Project.jpg|Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine File:Calvaert Noli me tangere 01.jpg|Noli me tangere File:Denys Calvaert - The Death of Saint Peter Martyr - Google Art Project.jpg|Death of Saint Peter Martyr (Denijs Calvaert) File:Lorenzo Sabatini y Denys Calvaert Sagrada Familia con San Juanito y San Miguel arcángel San Giacomo Maggiore Bolonia.jpg|Holy Family with Saint John and Archangel Michael, San Giacomo Maggiore, Bologna File:Madonna and Child with Saint Anne (Scuola Romana).jpg|Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine File:Denijs calvaert, la vigilanza.jpg|La Vigilanza by Denijs Calvaert File:Calvaert Rest on the flight into Egypt.jpg|Rest on the Flight into Egypt File:Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne... by Denys Calvaert.jpg|Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne File:Denis Calvaert 001.jpg|The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (National Galleries of Scotland) File:Denys Calvaert - Virgin and Child in a Rocky Landscape.jpg|Virgin and Child in a Rocky Landscape File:Denijs calvaert, san giovanni evangelista.jpg|San Giovanni Evangelista

Notes

References

Sources

• Dionysius Calvaert info, newadvent.org. Accessed 23 February 2024.

References

1. "Calvaert "kàlvaart", Denijs, detto Dionisio Fiammingo".
2. "The Resurrection of Christ by Denijs Calvaert (The Met Museum)". The Met Museum in New York, NY.
3. "Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness by Denys Calvaert, c. 1540-1619". artic.edu.
4. {{EB1911
5. (2008). "50 Women Artists You Should Know". Prestel.
6. "Calvaert, Denis".
7. (1719). "Abecedario pittorico".
8. Hobbes, James R.. (1849). "Picture collector's manual adapted to the professional man, and the amateur". T&W Boone.
9. Van Miegroet, Hans J. "Calvaert, Denys". Oxford University Press.
10. "The Holy Family With Saint John The Baptist – The Hood Museum (Dartmouth University)". hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu.