The Story of A Forgotten Master

Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) is maybe the most underrated artist of the Dutch golden era of painting. A student of Rembrandt, he was a pioneer in the way he used shading and perspective. He died at the age of 32 when a major blast at a gunpowder storage house in Delft, his hometown, destroyed a large part of the city. The blast destroyed also his atelier where he stored his works. As a result, only few of his paintings survive today. From those we can conclude that he was a big influence for Vermeer, if not his teacher. The connection between the two artists is also mentioned in the following dedication that was spoken at Carel's funeral:

"The phoenix has departed from this world
In the midst of life and fame
A new master has arisen from the ashes
Vermeer will follow in his steps."

Here follow a few of his surviving works:

The Goldfinch

Self-Portrait

Saskia van Uylenburgh (Rembrandt's Wife)

A View of Delft

Have a Nice Easter

The picture comes from the movie Ostrov (The Island). Russian Production, 2006.

A gem of European cinema. You can get a glimpse here

Music events

After some time that we were not updating much because of the minor complication of trying to do a PhD, your favourite blog is back with new suggestions for events happening soon in Eindhoven. First, in the last week of May, Muziekgebouw Frits Philips is organising three concerts in the cathedral, aptly named 3 Nights in Heaven. Alternative "slowcore" legends Low, Oscar-winning Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto with the German minimal artist Alva Noto and the Belgian alternative rock- meets jazz- meets Balkan beats band Absynthe minded will perform. More information can be found here.

Those of you who prefer punk and metal over concerts in churches will not be disappointed either. On Thursday, "pop" punk band the Thermals are playing in Effenaar. And on May 8, alternative metal band Gum take tooth are playing in TAC for free. Enjoy!

In Bloom...

Smiling sun.
Trees timidly unfolding their leaves.
Couples lying on the grass.
Smell of fire and roasted meat.




*****
Painting by Henry Meynell Rheam