Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech
Encyclopedia
Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech (1591/1592 — September 23, 1624) was a Dutch
painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Golden Age
. He is often considered the "inventor" of Dutch genre painting
. For his preference of irony, his contemporaries named him “Gheestige Willem” (Jolly or spiritual William).
. He was the son of Pieter Jacobsz, a cobbler and candlemaker. He learned his trade in Haarlem
, where he became a member of the artists' guild (Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
) in 1612, together with Hercules Segers and Esaias van de Velde
. Frans Hals
, who was a member of this guild since 1610, had much influence on Buytenwech's work, as shown by the many drawings that the latter made after Hals's paintings. After his marriage on November 10, 1613 with Aeltje van Amerongen, of a patrician family, he returned to Rotterdam. There Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh
was one of his pupils.
Buytewech was primarily a graphic artist, mostly of landscapes
and genre pieces, but occasionally also of biblical and allegorical themes. Of his paintings only eight have survived to this date, all genre pieces, most depicting merry companies.
He died at the age of only 32 or 33 of unrecorded causes. His son Willem Willemsz Buytewech (1625–1670), born after his death, would become a painter as well. It is suggested that Herman van Swanevelt
could have been his pupil.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
. He is often considered the "inventor" of Dutch genre painting
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
. For his preference of irony, his contemporaries named him “Gheestige Willem” (Jolly or spiritual William).
Life
Buytewech was born and died in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. He was the son of Pieter Jacobsz, a cobbler and candlemaker. He learned his trade in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
, where he became a member of the artists' guild (Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
The Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke was first a Christian, and later a city Guild for a large number of trades falling under the patron saints Luke the Evangelist and Saint Eligius.-History:...
) in 1612, together with Hercules Segers and Esaias van de Velde
Esaias van de Velde
Esaias van de Velde was a Dutch landscape painter.-Biography:Born in Amsterdam, where his Flemish father Hans had fled as a Protestant in 1585, he probably studied under his father and Gillis van Coninxloo, a landscape painter from Antwerp and a follower of Pieter Brueghel the Elder...
. Frans Hals
Frans Hals
Frans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
, who was a member of this guild since 1610, had much influence on Buytenwech's work, as shown by the many drawings that the latter made after Hals's paintings. After his marriage on November 10, 1613 with Aeltje van Amerongen, of a patrician family, he returned to Rotterdam. There Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh
Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh
Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh , was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works.-Biography:He was a pupil of David Teniers the Younger and Willem Pieterszoon Buytewech. Sorgh painted mostly interiors with peasants. His kitchen interiors feature elaborate still lifes...
was one of his pupils.
Buytewech was primarily a graphic artist, mostly of landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
and genre pieces, but occasionally also of biblical and allegorical themes. Of his paintings only eight have survived to this date, all genre pieces, most depicting merry companies.
Herman van Swanevelt
Herman van Swanevelt was a Dutch painter and etcher from the Baroque era.-Life:Herman was born in Woerden to a family of thriving artisans whose ancestors included the famous painter Lucas van Leyden. The identity of Swanevelt’s teacher remains a mystery...
could have been his pupil.
External links
- Gary Schwartz on the Merry Companies
- http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/b/buytewec/biograph.html
- About his son
- The Maps of Willem Buytewech