Jan van Bijlert (1597/98–1671)

Jan van Bijlert (1597/98-1671) is best known as one of the Utrecht Caravaggists and is often ranked with Hendrick ter Brugghen, Gerard van Honthorst and Dirck van Baburen. However, Van Bijlert is not primarily a Caravaggist painter, he is also a Classicist and a painter of ‘realistic’ Dutch genre scenes and portraits. He was readily inspired by new movements and developments which is reflected in a remarkable versatility in style and content as well as in quality. His inspiration comes from Dutch contemporaries such as Abraham Bloemaert and Gerard van Honthorst, from Italy (Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Orazio Gentileschi) and France (Simon Vouet).
The Introduction positions Van Bijlert within the Utrecht School and discusses the appreciation of his work. Chapter One is a short biography of the artist. Chapter Two describes Van Bijlert’s art and style in the light of his sources of inspiration.
The 204 paintings by Van Bijlert are reproduced and listed with full descriptions, plus a list of attributed and rejected paintings. The book is complemented by a concordance with Hoogewerff (1965), a genealogical tree, a bibliography and an Index.
Paul Huys Janssen studied art history at the University of Utrecht. He obtained his doctoral degree in 1994 with a thesis on Jan van Bijlert, which forms the basis of this Catalogue raisonné. Since 1984 he has worked for the Dutch Inter-University Institute of Art History in Florence, the Stichting Kerkelijk Kunstbezit in Utrecht, the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the University of Utrecht. At the same time he worked as a freelance art historian for museums and art dealers. In 1996 he was appointed as curator for old art at the Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch.
Features: 204 paintings by Jan van Bijlert; 79 contemporary paintings; 8 colour plates; Full descriptive catalogue by subject; Attributed and rejected paintings; Bibliography and Index.