Fine Canvas Art Blog

Democritus by Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1628

Dutch / Greco-Roman / Neoclassical / Paintings (Reproductions) - 1 year ago - troycapc

A reproduction of the masterpiece by Hendrick ter Brugghen, “Democritus” of 1628.  This work exemplifies Ter Brugghen’s preference for half-length figures as well as his love of the contrast between bright and somber surfaces.  Democritus was the Greek philosopher who laughed at the world and also was the first to come up with the idea of atoms.  He was the most influential of the pre-Socratic philosophers and was thoroughly despised by Plato.    This work is currently in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Hendrick ter Brugghen was a leading Dutch follower of the Italian Michelangelo Caravaggio.  He was born in about 1588 and at an early age moved with his family to Utrecht.  He was in Rome in 1604 where he was heavily influenced by Caravaggio asd well as Carracci, Domenichino and Reni.  He favored half-length figures and strong contrasts between light and dark surfaces.  Though he died early in 1629 at the age of 41, his influence was widespread in the next generation of Dutch Masters.

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