- Date of birth: 25 January 1585
- Date of death: 15 may 1634
- Country: Holland
Biography:
The famous artist from the Netherlands by Hendrick Avercamp fairly simple, short, but at the same time not quite a conventional biography, because he was deaf from birth.
Hendrik was born in Amsterdam in 1585 and the next year my parents moved to the town of Kampen in the province Overijssel, where his father Hendrik was engaged in the pharmacy business.
Yes, the boy was deaf, and, apparently, he hardly spoke. But his inner world was very bright and eloquent. He was drawn to the creativity up to 10 years, the mother gave him the initial lessons in drawing and painting.
In General, family upbringing had a huge influence on all its subsequent creative life. Hendrik’s grandfather was a famous scholar of that time, his mother had the intelligence and education, and has devoted a lot of time raising my son. They went on long walks, skating, playing, drawing.
These memories of childhood, warm, calm and peace, will forever remain in the memory and subsequently became the basis of his paintings. This was especially true of winter fun and festivities at the rink. Moreover, the end of the 16th century was marked in the nature of the cold winters that they face the ice on the rivers and lakes, having games and fun in the snow and on the ice.
From the age of 11 the boy learned from the poor kompenskogo artist, and at 18 years old, in 1603, he went to Amsterdam to continue the present study of painting. He studied with portrait painter P. Isaac, but still, the painting attracted him more. In the earliest of his works is felt a marked influence of Flemish painters.
Already at such a young age, he begins to create his paintings, which are very recognizable. They are filled with a lot of characters on ice, on sledges, on skates, with sticks, in funny poses, falling and rolling around. Rather, the paintings of Hendrick resemble children’s pictures, memories, illustrations of funny books.
He returned to Kampen in 1613 and never leaves it. Kempinski in the period from 1614 to 1634, Hendrik painted a lot of winter landscapes and genre scenes.
That’s the whole biography of the famous artist. It was called “the mute of Kampen”. But how can it be dumb and live light paintings, enjoyed great popularity among the countrymen.
In his work, Hendricks has created an amazing combination – he combined landscape and genre painting. His sensitive nature, he was able to see the landscape from a simple layman, an ordinary citizen or a wealthy burgher.
Almost all of his paintings the artist paints in bright, grey, pearl, a sort of “winter” colours. But they do not lose from this, and Vice versa, appears the individuality and recognition of the work of Avercamp. Feeling fresh frosty air, the grayness and severity of the Northern clouds, all drawn by the artist with great skill.
A huge pleasure to look at nature, stone walls, fortresses, wooden log houses, churches, boats, and a picturesque group of people. Each figure makes its own story meaning in the painting. They are carefully drawn, meticulously and at the same time very easily and with a sense of humor.
The work of the painter and bring harmony back to their childhood. Such abilities can have a good, cheerful, creative person, and what was their author.
He died in 1634, at the age of 49 years. Hendrick Avercamp has not created his own school, but still was the founder of a new direction in Dutch painting – realistic landscape.
He has written a lot of paintings, but mostly they are now in private collections. And, by the way, quite a large number of paintings of Avercamp has in the halls of Windsor castle – the residence of the British monarchs.