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Ter Brugghen focusses on a lute player lost in his art, drawing us close to the man by using strong, dramatic lighting to highlight the folds under his eyes, the long shadows of his fingers and his shiny red nose -- so red that ter Brugghen may have been exaggerating for comic effect. Perhaps he was suggesting that the man had a few glasses of wine before launching into song. All this makes the player seem more real, as though he is singing directly to us.Pictures of single musicians painted half-length were a particular specialism of a group of painters based in Utrecht in the 1620s. They were know as the 'Dutch Caravaggists' because they had lived and studied in Rome and were heavily influenced by the distinctive, dramatic style of Caravaggio and his followers.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Man playing a Lute

Date

1624

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 100.5 x W 78.7 cm

Accession number

NG6347

Acquisition method

Bought, 1963

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

View venue

Artist or maker

Hendrick ter Brugghen

1588–1629

View profile

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