Abraham Brueghel
Encyclopedia
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
painter from the famous family of artists. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Younger
Jan Brueghel the Younger
Jan Brueghel the Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter, and the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder.He was trained by his father and spent his career producing works in a similar style. Along with his brother Ambrosius, he produced landscapes, allegorical scenes and other works of meticulous detail. ...
, the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder
Jan Brueghel the Elder
Jan Brueghel the Elder was a Flemish painter, son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and father of Jan Brueghel the Younger. Nicknamed "Velvet" Brueghel, "Flower" Brueghel, and "Paradise" Brueghel, of which the latter two were derived from his floral still lifes which were his favored subjects, while the...
and the great-grandson of Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes . He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel" to distinguish him from other members of the Brueghel dynasty, but he is also the one generally meant when the context does...
.
Early life
Abraham was born in Antwerp, where he spent most of his youth. Much of his artistic training came from his father, Jan Brueghel the YoungerJan Brueghel the Younger
Jan Brueghel the Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter, and the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder.He was trained by his father and spent his career producing works in a similar style. Along with his brother Ambrosius, he produced landscapes, allegorical scenes and other works of meticulous detail. ...
. Abraham showed great promise as an artist from an early age, and started to make a name for himself in his teenage years.
Life as an Artist
In 1649, at the age of 18, Abraham went to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to serve under commission for Prince Antonio Ruffo in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It was the first of many commissions in which Abraham demonstrated his artistic abilities in drawing floral still lifes. He became a member of the Bentvueghels
Bentvueghels
The Bentvueghels were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent .-Activities:...
with the nickname Ryngraaf, which is how he signed the bentbrief of Abraham Genoels II
Abraham Genoels II
-Biography:According to Arnold Houbraken, who devoted 10 pages to him in his compilation of artist biographies called the Schouwburg, he was a good portrait and landscape painter who was taught drawing by Jacob Backereel in Antwerp and Perspective by Nicolaes Fierlants in Den Bosch...
.
Ten years later, in 1659, Brueghel moved to Rome, Italy
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and married an Italian woman less than a year later. He continued painting portraits of objects in nature, and in 1670 he was invited into the Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
, a Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
academy designated for giving a higher level of education for artists.
A year later, Abraham moved to Naples, Italy, where he remained until his death in 1690.