The Art of Abraham Bloemaert in the Context of Utrecht Mannerism

At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, a phenomenon called “late Dutch mannerism” became widespread in the art of the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic was then just forming new social institutions, which, together with political instability and the influence of large European countries, predetermined the syncretic nature of its culture. The main channels for the transmission of mannerism into the Netherlands were the art centers of Fontainebleau and Prague. The localization of the later version of this style in the northern provinces mainly affected three cities: Haarlem, Utrecht and Amsterdam. In this instance, mannerism as interpreted by Bartholomeus Spranger, an artist of Antwerp origin who established himself at the court of Rudolf II, had a unique impact on the Haarlem and Utrecht masters. This study is focused on the analysis of manifestations of mannerism in the art of one of its largest representatives in the Netherlands of the 17th century — the Utrecht artist Abraham Bloemaert. The purpose of the study is to determine how the features of late mannerism were developed in Bloemaert’s works, as well as to identify the possible influences of his experience on the younger generation of artists.