#carlfabritius — Public Fediverse posts
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"The Goldfinch," Carel Fabritius, 1654.
Fabritius (1622-54) was a Dutch Golden Age artist, a member of the Delft school and a pupil of Rembrandt who worked hard to create his own style. At a time when the main style was spotlighted subjects against dark backgrounds, he did delicately lit subjects against light backgrounds.
This is a bit unusual for the period in that it uses illusionary techniques to give a trompe l'oeil effect, and the original has the bird as life sized. Goldfinches were popular pets at the time; their song was pleasant, they could be taught some tricks, and they were thought to bring good health.
Fabritius was killed in 1654 by an explosion of a gunpowder store, which destroyed a quarter of the city and killed over 100 people. This painting was lost until 1859, when it turned up in the collection of a Belgian journalist and art critic, who got it from the family of a soldier who owned it for a long time; how he got it is a mystery.
These days it's famous for being central to a prize-winning novel by Donna Tartt, but its style and history are worth knowing on their own.
From the Mauritshuis, The Hague.