Jan van Scorel facts for kids
Jan van Scorel (born August 1, 1495 – died December 6, 1562) was an important Dutch painter. He helped bring the exciting ideas of Italian Renaissance painting to the Netherlands. He was one of the first artists to use the Romanist style. This style came from artists who had spent time in Italy, learning the Italian way of painting.
Jan van Scorel's trip to Italy happened when the only Dutch pope in history, Pope Adrian VI, was in charge (1522–1523). The pope even made Jan van Scorel his court painter! He also put him in charge of his collection of old artworks. Jan van Scorel stayed in Italy from 1518 to 1524. During this time, he also visited places like Nuremberg, Venice, and Jerusalem. Art from Venice greatly influenced his painting style.
Unlike many Romanist painters, Jan van Scorel was from the northern Netherlands, not Flanders. He also spent most of his life there. In 1530, he settled in Utrecht and opened a large art workshop. This workshop was set up like the ones in Italy. They mostly created altarpieces, which are artworks for church altars. Sadly, many of these were destroyed during the Reformation iconoclasm soon after he died. He also held church jobs.
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Biography
Jan van Scorel was born in Schoorl, a town north of Alkmaar. It's not fully known who his first art teachers were. He might have studied with the Master of Alkmaar, Pieter Gerritsz, or Jacob Cornelisz. But it's clear that Jan Gossaert and Jacob Cornelisz were the master painters who most influenced him later on.
Records show Jan van Scorel was in Haarlem in 1517. He might have worked with Maarten van Heemskerck there. Both artists were born near Alkmaar. They definitely worked together in Haarlem in 1528.
In 1524, Jan Gossaert was at Duurstede Castle near Utrecht. Jan van Scorel was his student there. In his early twenties, Jan van Scorel started traveling across Europe. From 1518 to 1522, he was in Venice. On his way, he went through Nuremberg and Austria, crossing the Alps. In 1520, in the village of Obervellach, he finished his first important work. This was the "Frangipani-Altar" for St. Martin's church. The artist Giorgione had a big impact on Van Scorel while he was in Venice.
After leaving Venice, Jan van Scorel was in Rome from 1522 to 1524. He also made a special trip to the Holy Land. His experiences in Jerusalem appeared in many of his later paintings. Perhaps Jan van Scorel's travels even encouraged Van Heemskerck to visit Rome later.
In 1521, Van Scorel returned to Rome. There, he met the Dutch pope Pope Adrian VI. He might have met him before in Utrecht. The pope made him a painter for the Vatican. The pope even posed for a portrait painted by Van Scorel. In Rome, Van Scorel was influenced by famous artists like Michelangelo and Raphael. He even took over Raphael's job as the Keeper of the Belvedere.
When he came back to the Netherlands in 1524, he settled in Utrecht. There, he became a very successful painter and teacher. Jan van Scorel was a very smart person. He was skilled as an engineer and an architect, not just an artist. He also spoke many languages, probably because of his travels. He even made plans for building a polder (a piece of low land reclaimed from the sea) in his home area of North Holland. This polder was called the Zijpe- en Hazepolder. His friend, the merchant Servaes de Haese from Antwerp, helped pay for it. He was in Haarlem in 1528, possibly for this polder work. While there, he worked with Heemskerck and helped with an art school.
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Jan van Scorel was seen as the most important Netherlandish Romanist painter. He moved to Ghent for painting jobs. Then he returned to Utrecht for more work, where he died in 1562. He left behind many portraits and altarpieces. Sadly, many of his artworks were destroyed during a time called the Iconoclasm in 1566. But some still exist today and can be seen in museums, mostly in the Netherlands.
Influences
Jan van Scorel met, taught, or worked with many other painters. Some of these include Cornelis Willemsz, Aertgen van Leyden, the Master of Alkmaar, Pieter Gerritsz, Jacob Cornelisz, Jan Gossaert, Maarten van Heemskerck, Antonis Mor, Lambert Sustris, and Michel Coxie.
He took Michel Coxie with him to Italy in 1532 for seven years. When Coxie and Van Scorel returned in 1539, they brought back the influence of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo. Michel Coxie was especially known for his use of color. Young Rubens, another famous painter, studied Coxie's works.
Public collections
- Centraal Museum, Utrecht
- Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht
- Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
- Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
See also
In Spanish: Jan van Scorel para niños
