(b Utrecht, 4 Nov 1592;
d Utrecht, 27 April 1656).
Dutch painter and draughtsman. He came from a large Catholic family in
Utrecht, with several artist members. His grandfather, Gerrit Huygensz.
van Honthorst ( fl c. 1575–9), and his father, Herman Gerritsz.
van Honthorst ( fl c. 1611–16), were textile and tapestry
designers (kleerschrijvers); his father is also occasionally
mentioned in documents as a painter. Both his grandfather and father
held official positions in the Utrecht artists’ guilds, Gerrit Huygensz.
from 1575 to 1579, and Herman Gerritsz. in 1616. Two of Gerrit
Hermansz.’s brothers were also trained as artists. Herman Hermansz. van
Honthorst ( fl 1629–32) was trained to be a sculptor but later
became a priest, and Willem Hermansz. van Honthorst (1594–1666) studied
painting under Gerrit Hermansz., whose style he frequently emulated.
Gerrit Hermansz. was the most successful artist in the family and the
most famous member of the group of UTRECHT CARAVAGGISTI, the Dutch
followers of Caravaggio. His predilection for turning the great Italian
painter’s dramatic patterns of natural light and shadow into nocturnal
scenes with cleverly rendered effects of artificial illumination won him
the Italian nickname ‘Gherardo delle Notti’.
Adoration of the Child
c. 1620
Oil on canvas
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
The Incredulity of St Thomas
c. 1620
Oil on canvas, 125 x 99 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Adoration of the Shepherds
1622
Oil on canvas, 164 x 190 cm
Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne
Childhood of Christ
1620
Oil on canvas
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Christ before the High Priest
c. 1617
Oil on canvas, 272 x 183 cm
National Gallery, London
Christ before the High Priest (detail)
c. 1617
Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London
Concert on a Balcony
1624
Oil on canvas, 168 x 178 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris
The Dentist
1622
Oil on canvas, 147 x 219 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
Margareta Maria de Roodere and Her Parents
1652
Oil on canvas, 140 x 170 cm
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
Margareta Maria de Roodere and Her Parents
(detail)
1652
Oil on canvas, 140 x 170 cm
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
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