Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) was a Dutch artist who did not have much luck in life. He studied under Rembrandt and is considered to have been Vermeer's teacher, which means that in his case the student clearly surpassed the teacher and somewhat eclipsed the fame of Fabritius himself. Fabritius was also an ardent admirer of Rembrandt's work, which is not surprising - who else to imitate if not your famous teacher? But it is difficult to become famous and fully realize oneself as an artist while living in the Golden Age of Dutch painting - there is too much competition, too many other outstanding painters. That is why Fabritius was somewhat forgotten.
Karel Fabricius. Self-portrait, approx.
However, art historians consider his work, and especially the small painting "The Goldfinch", to be very important in the development of art, but the general public learned about Fabritius after the publication of Donna Tartt's novel "The Goldfinch". The novel became quite popular, and those who read it became seriously interested in the work of this artist, especially the painting "The Goldfinch", which Tartt herself considered the missing link between the paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer. What is so outstanding and unusual about it, what is Fabritius's innovation, and why art historians prefer to remain shyly silent about how this painting came to be, we will talk about in this article.
Goldfinch
At first glance, there is nothing special about this painting. On the wall is a perch for a bird, on the upper bar of which sits a goldfinch, and to prevent it from flying away, a chain is attached to its leg, the other end of which is attached to the perch. You look, yawn, shrug your shoulders - what is so surprising that art historians have found in this simple painting? The essence lies in the inconspicuous details, of which there are many.
In Holland in the 17th century, goldfinches were kept as pets because they could scoop up water with a small ladle and drink it. Of course, this required long training, but what else could the bored inhabitants of Holland and other countries do on long evenings - there was no television then, and entertainment was only good at the royal court or with the richest aristocrats.
Sleeping sentry
"The Goldfinch by Fabritius is a trompe l'oeil painting. They were popular in Holland and served as a unique way to surprise visitors with the first 3D effect.
However, this painting has a characteristic feature that distinguishes it from other similar works. The goldfinch is painted with broad, careless brushstrokes, but very skillfully applied, creating the illusion of plumage. Fabritius shaded the paint with his fingers in some places, resulting in a defocused effect.
Goldfinch (fragment)
The goldfinch looks like it was photographed with a camera, but slightly out of focus. As a result, it looks like it is alive, it is not a static image, but a moving bird that cannot be without movement. “Movement is life” - this slogan, invented much later, was embodied by Fabritius in his painting.
And these innovative solutions for that time distinguish Fabritius from other Dutch artists specializing in trompe l'oeil paintings, who were sure that paintings should be clear and carefully drawn, like this one created by Van Hoogstraten.
Samuel Van Hoogstraten. Still Life Deception.
No matter how close we approached it, no matter from what distance we looked at it, nothing would change, and all the objects were carefully painted.
Fabritius studied with Rembrandt for three years, and at first his paintings were very similar to Rembrandt's, but then Fabritius developed his own style of painting. The difference between the two artists is particularly evident in the portraits - Rembrandt preferred to paint on a dark background, he was a master of working with light in his paintings, which seemed to come out of nowhere and therefore seem somewhat unreal and magical.
Rembrandt. Self-Portrait. 1669
Fabricius' canvases are simpler in this respect, he preferred to paint in natural light, on a light background, but he depicted it very realistically and talentedly.
But this is also an indicator of talent - one should not copy everything from a recognized master, one must go his own way, be a true artist, not an imitator, and it is good that Fabricius understood all this.
Carel Fabritius. Self-portrait. 1654
There is another secret about Fabritius' paintings that art historians prefer to keep quiet. The thing is that Fabritius was a photographer, not in the modern sense of the word of course, but he actively used a camera obscura when working on his paintings. Fabritius could have learned the peculiarities of working with it from Jan Vermeer - it is no coincidence that he came from Amsterdam, where he mainly lived and worked, to Deft, where Vermeer lived.
The technique is simple but original. The artist places a lens behind him that reflects the object he needs. Then he installs a mirror on a special tripod that reflects the image in the lens. The mirror is between the artist's eyes and the canvas, and the artist's task is simply to choose the right color to match the reflection in the mirror. When this happens, the border between the mirror and the canvas, from where the artist is looking, merges. Then the mirror is moved and the next small fragment is painted. The work requires great patience, but the paintings are very realistic.
Hagar and the Angel, 1643-1645
Therefore, the lack of focus may simply be a feature of the lens - with such primitive technology as existed at the time, it was all in the nature of things.
However, art historians do not like to talk about this method of painting, as it is believed to diminish the merits of the artists themselves. But with all this, it must be taken into account that you still need to know how to work with lenses and a mirror, and there is still a lot of creativity there - you need to choose the right composition, work masterfully with colors, and be able to paint the right light.
Fabritius died early - at the age of 32 and completely by accident. He was quietly painting in his studio when an accident occurred - an explosion of a gunpowder warehouse that destroyed half the city.
Egbert van der Poel. View of Delft after the Explosion. 1654.
Fabritius's studio was nearby - he was a young artist, not yet the most famous and recognized, so he could not choose a better and safer place, he was content with what he had. There were also many of his paintings in the studio, which were waiting for their buyers - all this is irretrievably lost. Only 10 paintings that Fabritius had already sold remain, including the famous "Goldfinch".
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