Young Man Singing by Dirck van Baburen was created in 1622. The painting is in Städel Museum Frankfurt. The size of the work is 71 x 58,8 cm and is made as an oil on canvas.
This work is one of the earliest examples of the Netherlandish genre of half-length figures of musicians. Executed immediately after van Baburen’s return from Rome, this painting is a masterpiece of northern European Caravaggism. The influence of the great Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio can be seen in the close-up view (the music book seems to protrude right into the viewer’s space), the cleverly chosen picture detail, the subject’s expressive pose and physiognomy, the costume, which is reminiscent of a theatrical character of the day, and the lighting, as powerful as it is sophisticated. This work is one of the earliest examples of the Netherlandish genre of half-length figures of musicians… (read more in in Städel Museum Frankfurt)
About the Artist: Dutch Baroque painter Dirck van Baburen was born in Wijk bij Duurstede in 1595. His father was a Jasper van, Utrecht council. In 1611, he started taking painting lessons from Paulus Moreelse, a painter of portraits and historical subjects. Probably in later years he became an apprentice of the painter. In 1612 he went to Rome and was influenced by Caravaggio’s dramatic shadowing and the use of light… Read more
