If Maarten van Heemskerck hadn’t spilled milk by running into a tree, he would never have become a great painter. This and more anecdotes are being told at a three part exhibition on this Dutch Renaissance artist. Surprisingly enough this is the first exhibition on Van Heemskerck in The Netherlands. In the 19th century he was largely ignored for being too Italian, and it took him an awfully long time to get rid of the negative aspect of this label for which he is now praised.
The story of Van Heemskerck starts in the Frans Halsmuseum in Haarlem. Born in 1498 as Maarten van Veen in the town of Heemskerck. When he became a professional painter he decided to use the name ‘Van Heemskerk’.
After having been an apprentice to local painters and possibly also spending time in Flanders, Van Heemskerck returned to Haarlem to work as an assistant to Jan van Scorel (born in… yes good guess: Schoorl). In the Frans Hals Museum you witness their competition. Van Heemskerck imitates Van Scorel and adds a bit of Michaelangelo too. Having been in Bruges himself or having known Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges – which arrived in Bruges in 1504 – from drawings, you can clearly see the resemblance. Van Heemskerck becomes such a good painter that you can hardly distinguish his work from that of Van Scorel and he may have suggested that Van Heemskerck should go to Italy to complete his training. Van Scorel must have thought ‘good riddance’ when Van Heemskerck decided to follow his employers advice.
Right before Van Heemskerck leaves he paints this wonderful Saint Luke painting the Madonna for his colleagues to remember him by. This painting has recently been restored and it was discovered that this was originally a pendent. The process of this restauration is explained in detail at the Frans Hals Museum.
Van Heemskerck also paints his father as a farewell gift, him being of age and Van Heemskerck expecting not to return quite soon. This painting, as well as of other family members, can be found in the Stedelijk Museum in Alkmaar which focusses mainly on his sojourn in Rome until 1536/1537 and the influence it had on Van Heemskerck.
Van Heemskerck must have been in Rome by July 1532, because painter and author Giogio Vasari writes having met Van Heemskerck. In the eternal city Van Heemskerck is drawing the world around him: the city’s old and its new architecture and the recently excavated classical sculptures. These more than 200 drawings provide him with an enormous amount of inspiration. His bodies become more natural having seen all these classical torsos. Also his portraits show that his stay in Rome has done him good. Even though his early portraits displayed in Haarlem were already innovative, his later portraits on show in Alkmaar clearly show a more dynamic way of painting.
Apart from this, he also picked up the idea in Italy of working together with printmakers to make his work widely available. After returning to The Netherlands, Van Heemskerck continued focussing on painting, but after the iconoclast period in the 1560s he increasingly turned to drawing designs for prints. Some of these are series of four or more pages and they discuss al kinds of subjects. This collection is not to be missed and can be admired at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem which is one of the oldest museums of The Netherlands.
So when you are looking for a daytrip to Noord Holland, this is your excuse! Go and visit all three exhibitions and get a full understanding of the live and work of Maarten van Heemskerck. Wendy Fossen 22nd December 2024
The exhibitions run until the 19th January
