Albert Eckhout

Brazilian fruit by Albert Eckhout

Albert Eckhout (c. 1610, Groningen - 1665) was a Dutch portrait and still life painter. Eckhout was among the first European artists to paint scenes from the New World. In 1636, he traveled to Dutch Brazil, invited by count John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen. There, he painted portraits of natives, slaves and mulattos. He is also famous for his still lifes of Brazilian fruits and vegetables. The majority of his work is now stored at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. In art history, he is taken to be part of Baroque.

Dutch Brazil

John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen took the painters Albert Eckhout and Frans Post to Dutch Brazil to have them record the country's landscape, inhabitants, flora and fauna. Eckhout focused on the people, plants and animals. For this, he created eight life-size representations of Brazil's inhabitants, twelve still lifes and a large piece of dancing natives. For many Europeans, these works were their first introduction to the New World. In 1644, Eckhout returned to Europe.

Portraits

While Post was focusing on painting maps and landscapes, Eckhout made pieces about the inhabitants and still-lifes with fruits and vegetables. His work is said to give the first realistic image of the native population, part of the Tupi and Tupaya tribes. The Tupis were regarded as the natives who were the closest to the Europeans; in the pieces, they are clothed and pose in a cultivated environment. The Tupaya's dance on the other hand, shows naked savages surrounded by wild animals. This picture was much more in accordance with the mental image of the natives back in Europe.

Still lifes

For a couple of reasons, the series of twelve still lifes by Albert Eckhout are unique. First, they show Brazil's abundant crops and second, these are the only known still lifes from the 17th century showing an (overcast) sky in the background.

External links

• Eckhout on the site of the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen