Adriaen Coorte
Encyclopedia
Adriaen Coorte was a Dutch Golden Age painter of still life
s, who signed works between 1683 and 1707. He painted small and unpretentious still lifes in a style more typical of the first half of the century, and was "one of the last practitioners of this intimate category".
. He became a pupil of Melchior d'Hondecoeter
around 1680 in Amsterdam
. From 1683 he seems to have returned to Middelburg, where he set up a workshop and signed his small, carefully balanced minimalist still lifes. He often painted on paper that was glued to a wooden panel. About 80 signed works by him have been catalogued, and nearly all of them follow the same pattern; small arrangements of fruits, vegetables, or shells on a stone slab, lit from above, with the dark background typical of still lifes earlier in the century. Instead of the Chinese or silver vessels favoured by his contemporaries, his tableware is very basic pottery. "Objects and light are studied intensely, and are painted with a wondrous tenderness". Neither his birth nor death date is certain, and archival evidence only exists in Middelburg for his membership in the Guild of St. Luke there from 1695 onwards, when he was fined for selling a painting without being a member of the guild. His works appear frequently in contemporary Middelburg taxation inventories
revived his reputation, beginning with an article in 1952, and finally publishing the first monograph
and catalogue raisonné
on Coorte in 1977 (Adriaen Coorte, Amsterdam). Bol arranged an exhibition of 35 examples of Coorte's work in 1958 at the Dordrechts Museum
, which became a sensation in the Netherlands, with the poets Hans Faverey and Ed Leeflang both being inspired by the paintings. In 2003 there was an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. In 2008 a new travelling exhibition was set up; Ode to Coorte, that was as nearly as successful, making Coorte the most celebrated "rediscovered" Dutch Baroque painter of recent decades.
Testifying to Coorte's recent popularity is the December 1st, 2009 auction of two his new-found paintings, which each sold for more than ten times the estimated price.
His paintings have been compared to Spanish Bodegones, but he may also have been influenced by older painters:
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
s, who signed works between 1683 and 1707. He painted small and unpretentious still lifes in a style more typical of the first half of the century, and was "one of the last practitioners of this intimate category".
Biography
Very little is known of his life, but he is assumed to have been born and died in MiddelburgMiddelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
. He became a pupil of Melchior d'Hondecoeter
Melchior d'Hondecoeter
Melchior d'Hondecoeter , Dutch animalier painter, was born in Utrecht and died in Amsterdam. After the start of his career, he painted virtually exclusively bird subjects, usually exotic or game, in park-like landscapes...
around 1680 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. From 1683 he seems to have returned to Middelburg, where he set up a workshop and signed his small, carefully balanced minimalist still lifes. He often painted on paper that was glued to a wooden panel. About 80 signed works by him have been catalogued, and nearly all of them follow the same pattern; small arrangements of fruits, vegetables, or shells on a stone slab, lit from above, with the dark background typical of still lifes earlier in the century. Instead of the Chinese or silver vessels favoured by his contemporaries, his tableware is very basic pottery. "Objects and light are studied intensely, and are painted with a wondrous tenderness". Neither his birth nor death date is certain, and archival evidence only exists in Middelburg for his membership in the Guild of St. Luke there from 1695 onwards, when he was fined for selling a painting without being a member of the guild. His works appear frequently in contemporary Middelburg taxation inventories
Legacy
Coorte was apparently not well known to his contemporaries outside the small city of Middelburg and, like Vermeer a century before, he was almost entirely forgotten until the 1950s, when the Dutch art historian Laurens J. BolLaurens J. Bol
Laurens Johannes Bol was an art historian specialized in 17th century Dutch Golden Age painters.-Biography:...
revived his reputation, beginning with an article in 1952, and finally publishing the first monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
and catalogue raisonné
Catalogue raisonné
The typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
on Coorte in 1977 (Adriaen Coorte, Amsterdam). Bol arranged an exhibition of 35 examples of Coorte's work in 1958 at the Dordrechts Museum
Dordrechts Museum
Dordrechts Museum is an art museum in Dordrecht, Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1842 and has a collection of artists of the last 400 years.-Paintings:The museum has paintings of the following artists:-External links: , official website...
, which became a sensation in the Netherlands, with the poets Hans Faverey and Ed Leeflang both being inspired by the paintings. In 2003 there was an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. In 2008 a new travelling exhibition was set up; Ode to Coorte, that was as nearly as successful, making Coorte the most celebrated "rediscovered" Dutch Baroque painter of recent decades.
Testifying to Coorte's recent popularity is the December 1st, 2009 auction of two his new-found paintings, which each sold for more than ten times the estimated price.
His paintings have been compared to Spanish Bodegones, but he may also have been influenced by older painters: