Venus between Ceres and Bacchus An oil painting, painted by hand for you alone

early life and training

hendrick goltzius (* januar oder februar 1558 in bracht, heute ortsteil von Brüggen im kreis viersen – bei venlo; † 29. dezember 1616 oder 1. januar 1617 in haarlem) war ein niederländischer maler, zeichner und kupferstecher. sein werk stand unter dem einfluss der durch die nachahmung italienischer meister hervorgerufenen manieristischen strömung, welche damals die holländische kunst beherrschte. gemäß a. hyatt mayor, goltzius "war der letzte professionelle engraver, der mit der autorität eines guten malers zeichnete und der letzte, der viele bilder für andere zu kopieren versuchte". seine familie zog nach duisburg, als er 3 jahre alt war, und nachdem er kunst auf glas unter seinem vater studierte, lernte er kupferstechern von dirck volkertszoon coornhert und dem austausch an der haarlemer akademie, der auch bartholomeus spranger, cornelis van haarlem und karel van mander angehörten. ab 1577 zog goltzius mit coornhert nach haarlem in die dutch republik und blieb dort für den rest seines lebens. er wurde außerdem von philip galle angestellt, um eine serie von drucken über die geschichte von lucretia zu gravieren. sein rechter hand war durch ein feuer als baby missgestaltet, was sich besonders gut zum halten des burin eignete. dieses einzigartige körperliche charakteristik ermöglichte ihm, einen beherrschenden schwung der linie zu meistern und machte seine gravüren somit hoch individuell. goltzius begann malerei mit vierzig jahren; einige seiner gemälde können im vienna gefunden werden. er führte auch ein paar chiaroscuro holzschnitte durch.

artistic career

in 1577, goltzius moved with coornhert to haarlem in the dutch republic, where he remained based for the rest of his life. he was also employed by philip galle to engrave a set of prints of the history of lucretia. goltzius had a malformed right hand from a fire when he was a baby, which turned out to be especially well-suited to holding the burin. this unique physical characteristic allowed him to master a commanding swing of line, making his engravings highly distinctive. goltzius brought to an unprecedented level the use of the "swelling line", where the burin is manipulated to make lines thicker or thinner to create a tonal effect from a distance. he began painting at the age of forty-two; some of his paintings can be found in vienna. he also executed a few chiaroscuro woodcuts.

technique and style

goltzius was a pioneer of the "dot and lozenge" technique, where dots are placed in the middle of lozenge-shaped spaces created by crosshatching to further refine tonal shading. his command of the burin is said to rival dürer, and he made engravings of bartholomeus spranger's paintings, thus increasing the fame of the latter – and his own. goltzius was a pioneer of the "dot and lozenge" technique, where dots are placed in the middle of lozenge-shaped spaces created by crosshatching to further refine tonal shading. his command of the burin is said to rival dürer, and he made engravings of bartholomeus spranger's paintings, thus increasing the fame of the latter – and his own.

public collections and legacy

most major print rooms will have a group of goltzius's many engravings, including the museum boijmans van beuningen, rijksmuseum amsterdam, and the metropolitan museum of art. his legacy can be seen in the works of other artists, such as jacques bellange, who was also a master of northern mannerist printmaking. goltzius's engravings and paintings continue to inspire art lovers and scholars alike, and his work can be found on OriginalUniqueArt.com and in the wikipedia article dedicated to his life and work.