Honthorst, Gerrit van (gĕr`ĭt vän hōnt`hôrst), 1590–1656, Dutch portrait, genre, and allegorical painter. In Italy (c.1610–1620) he gained a sound understanding of the works of Caravaggio, which greatly affected his style. He was a master at painting candlelit genre pieces and biblical scenes. Upon his return to Holland, he introduced the Italian manner of illusionistic decoration into Dutch interiors, as in his decorative scheme for the palace of Honselaarsdijk. In 1628, Charles I invited him to England, where he decorated Whitehall and painted portraits of the king and nobility. Several of these are now in the National Gallery, London. He also worked for the court of Denmark, and from 1637 to 1652 at The Hague. Together with Terbrugghen Terbrugghen, Hendrick (hĕn`drĭk tĕrbr
..... Click the link for more information. and Baburen he led the influential Utrecht school of painting that introduced Caravaggesque dramatic realism into Dutch art. Honthorst's Winter King of Bohemia is in the Metropolitan Museum.

Bibliography

See study by J. R. Judson (1959).

Honthorst, Gerrit van

known as Gherardo delle Notti (Italian: “Gerard of the Night Scenes”)

(born Nov. 4, 1590, Utrecht, Neth.—died April 27, 1656, Utrecht) Dutch painter. During 10 years in Italy (c. 1610–20) he enjoyed the patronage of the nobility and assimilated the Baroque style of Caravaggio. The dramatic effects of artificial light in his early paintings, as in such nocturnal scenes as Supper Party (1620), earned him his nickname. He was court painter at The Hague from 1637 to 1652. Some of Rembrandt's early works were inspired by his use of chiaroscuro. With Hendrik Terbrugghen, he was a leader of the Utrecht school.