ADAM ELSHEIMER SUMMARY |
|
| ADAM ELSHEIMER ____1578-1610 |
| Although the surviving works of
Adam Elsheimer are few, his art opened new vistas to the seventeenth century Northern
European painters. He worked primarily for private patrons and he painted on copper panels
of extremely small dimensions. Minute details are shown with unbelievable precision, yet
his works contain the power of large-scale art. He was revolutionary in his use of light, he studied the natural effects of sun and moon, fires and torchlight, and the mysterious shadows cast in dark interiors by oil lamp and candle. His treatment of light bordered upon the surreal. He brought to the interpretation of biblical and mythological scenes a tenderness, intimacy, and honesty that made a strong impression upon Rembrandt. Elsheimer was born in Frankfurt am Main. He began to develop his unique style after he arrived in Venice in 1599. By 1600 he was in Rome, where he became quite famous for his rendering of night scenes and use of varying sources of illumination. In Saint Paul on Malta shipwrecked travellers cluster naked around fires and attempt to dry their clothes; his narrative style completely avoids the grandiloquent and rests entirely on vivid detail. This painting explores the dramatic potential of flood and fire, while still recording the events with human sensitivity. Elsheimer was a quiet and withdrawn character. He was know for his deep periods of melancholy. His work became widely known throughout Europe, due to the engravings of his pupil, Hendrick Goudt. He was most admired by Rembrandt. |
