Portret van Martinus Antonius Kuytenbrouwer

Portret van Martinus Antonius Kuytenbrouwer by Johannes Christiaan d’Arnaud Gerkens (1833- 1892). Click here to see it enlarged in the archives of the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam.

The portrait shows a good looking young painter. The painter looks down, which is a bit unusual but his facial features stand out wonderfully. The portrait looks almost modern because of the large blanc space. This causes the viewer to focus on M.A. Kuytenbrouwer’s face, which is a handsome face.

With the many cross hatches, the drawing looks professional and quickly set-up. However, M.A. Kuytenbrouwer’s left shoulder hangs a bit too low. The large signature of d’ Arnaud Gerkens is cleverly put in the empty space.

Martinus Antonius Kuytenbrouwer, the Elder was a member of the Utrecht Society of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. He married Johanna Sophia Gijsberta Kolff in 1798. Their son, M. A. Kuytenbrouwer Jr. (1821 -1897), became a painter too. Above, the portrait is showing Martinus Antonius Kuytenbrouwer, the Younger.

Below is a painting by M.A. Kuytenbrouwer, the Elder. It shows a calm pastoral scene of a contented farmer, resting on a gate,  looking at his cows and sheep. Or at the painter. The cows look at the painter too. I wish the puddle had been a bit bigger, then we could have seen a reflection of M.A. Kuytenbrouwer, sitting there with his painters-easel and canvas.

The second painting is by the son, M.A. Kuytenbrouwer, the Younger, and shows the opposite of calm. Travellers are taking a difficult road and the scene is full of struggling. Click on the paintings to enlarge.