Leonaert Bramer
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Leonaert/Leonard Bramer alias Nestelghat (24 December 1596 - 10
February 1674 (buried)) was a Dutch painter, best known for probably
being one of the teachers of Johannes Vermeer, although there is no
similarity between their work.[1] Bramer's dark and exotic style is
unlike Vermeer's style. Bramer was primarily a genre and history
painter, but also made some unique frescos, not very often found
north of the Alps. Leonaert Bramer is one of the most intriguing
personalities in seventeenth-century Dutch art. He was a talented
and diligent draughtsman, evidently Roman Catholic and a lifelong
bachelor.
Bramer was born in Delft. In 1614,
at the age of 18, he left on a long trip eventually reaching Rome in
1616, via Atrecht, Amiens, Paris, Aix (February 1616), Marseille,
Genoa, and Livorno. In Rome he was one of the founders of the
Bentvueghels group of Northern artists. He lived with Wouter Crabeth
and got into a fight with Claude Lorraine. He dedicated a poem to
Wybrand de Geest. Bramer remained on and off in Rome until October
1627, visiting Mantua and Venice, often for deliveries and to meet
Domenico Fetti. In Italy Bramer was nicknamed Leonardo della Notte
("Leonardo of the night"). In 1648 he went to Rome for a second
time.
By 1628 he was back in Delft, where
he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in 1629 and the schutterij. Among
his many patrons were members of the House of Orange, but local
burgomasters and schepen also bought his paintings in great numbers.
He was a many sided artist, designing for tapestry firms in Delft,
painting murals and ceilings, some of which are illusionistic in
style. He painted real frescos in the Civic Guard house, the nearby
stadholder's palaces in Honselersdijk, Rijswijk, the Communal Land
Housde and the Prinsenhof in Delft. Due to the Dutch climate they no
longer survive.
He evidently knew the greatest of
his Delft contemporaries, Johannes Vermeer, as he came to the
latter's defence when his future mother-in-law was trying to prevent
him from marrying her daughter.
“ On the evening of 4 April 1653,
Leonaert Bramer, a Roman Catholic himself, and a Protestant sea
captain, Bartholomeus Melling, called on Maria Thins. They had with
them a Delft lawyer named Johannes Ranck. This party had come to
convince Maria Thins that the young up-and-coming artist was a good
match for her beloved daughter Catharina. Maria's sister was also
present giving support and sympathy. "The visitors had come to ask
Maria to sign a document permitting the marriage vows to be
published. Maria replied that she would not sign such an act of
consent. Despite this - a subtle distinction - she would put up with
the vows being published: she said several times that she wouldn't
stand in the way of this. In other words, she didn't welcome the
marriage, but she wouldn't block it. ”
Bramer remained very productive
until his death, which occurred in his home town of Delft in 1674.
His style is nervous, but his technique, painting the reflection of
light, is very good. His famous "Album Bramer" (drawn between
1642–1654, now in Leiden) contains many sketches after paintings in
Delft collections. He was influenced by Adam Elsheimer, Agostino
Tassi, a fresco painter. Upon his death, his works were offered for
sale in 1674 in an advertisement in the Haarlems Dagblad, probably
necessary because of the (depressed) Dutch economy:
On Monday, the 7th of May 1674, the
Guild of St. Luke in Delft shall sell many good paintings, and many
good and rare art and drawings, on panel, canvas, and copper plates,
as well as diverse large books, full of art work: left by the very
respected painter and draftsman, the late Leendert Bramer.
From his inventory it is clear that
Gaspar Roomer owned 1500 drawings. Among his drawings, probably the
most puzzling set are those he titled "Straatwerken," meaning
"street works."
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