Dutch artist and outstanding engraver of the 16th century Hendrik Goltzius was born into the family of a stained glass artist. Watching his father work, he himself began to show interest in art at an early age. Goltzius was very lucky to become a great master himself: as a child, he fell into a pile of hot coals and severely injured one of his hands. The artist later depicted his mutilated brush in several drawings. If the boy had injured his second hand, who knows, perhaps he would never have started drawing.
In 1575, young Goltzius was taken on as a student by the engraver and philosopher Dirk Kornhert. At first, Goltzius helped Cornhert transfer images from plates to paper, and in 1578 he engraved his first work, dedicated to the outbreak of the Dutch War of Independence from Spanish rule. Thanks to his marriage to a rich widow, the artist was able to open his own workshop. He printed mainly the works of his contemporaries and his own drawings.
In the early 90s of the 16th century, Goltzius moved to Italy. Here he devoted several years to painting ancient Roman masterpieces. By this time, the master had created a series of engravings on the theme of antiquity. The artist paid great attention to anatomical details, however, being a mannerist, he deviated from realism and balance. His characters look too unnatural, intense, bizarre.
Goltzius also has engravings on biblical themes. They can be divided into two conditional categories: portraits of characters and illustrations of stories from the Old and New Testaments. In the first years of the 17th century, the artist moved away from graphics and switched to painting - about 50 paintings are attributed to him.
Sources:
metmuseum.org
