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Bacchante with an Ape
Hendrick ter Brugghen, master of the Dutch Caravaggisti

Hendrick ter Brugghen's, Bacchante with an Ape1, is a delightful portrayal of a pale and belligerent, yet pleasantly amused woman; in the lower left corner of the rendering, an almost invisible [as a result of Brugghen's dramatic shadowing] small ape, mimics her body. The subject is a female representation of a Bacchante, or a follower of Bacchus, the god of wine. (Bracchante with an Ape, Getty Museum). Rendered using oil paints, the Bacchante depicted in the painting has the most life-like of skin tones, created by combining pale white with a luscious, organic yellow ochre, deep siennas, and a hint of burgundy red. While her body and neck are gorgeous, smooth, healthy peach tones, her face is an almost bloodless green, Brugghen created this effect by subtracting some of the reds, and adding a sick, leafy green to the pigment. When the viewer enters the room, his/her focus is immediately drawn to this woman's face, which is seemingly detached from her body, as if she is lifeless in her sinful indulgences; in contrast, though, she playfully grins into the eyes of her audience. Her overall form is highlighted by an unidentifiable light source against a dark, solid backdrop, as if she is spotlighted; this style is fondly known as Caravaggisti.
To a curious viewer, the subject becomes clear when he/she glances into the Bacchante's grasps; in her right hand she fondles a troop of juicy white grapes, dripping sumptuously into a chalice
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she holds in the opposite. And, if it is more evidence the viewer desires, he/she may simply gaze into the face of this rosey-cheeked lush. Her eyes are red and dark, and her posture is unbalanced as she leans forward, letting us [the viewers] know that her physical state could be impaired, all while leaving intrigue with her slightly toothy smile. Her mysterious, yet satisfied smirk creates a curious controversy and can be compared to the grin of da Vinci's Mona Lisa 2, one of the most talked about mouths in art history today.
Brugghen implemented a popular triangular composition, that is, with three dominant points of interest. Located in the upper, left-center section of the mural, is the uppermost tip of the shape, where her glowing portrait was painted. The viewer's eyes begin at the most highlighted portion of her face, her eyes and nose, while acknowledging her rosey-red cheeks and slightly toothy smile; his/her eyes follow the subject's vibrant red drapery to the right corner of the triangle, where the lady grasps her fruits and earthly-gold, and elegantly highlighted saucer. The focus is then directed unto the woman's expressive hand wandering up her masculine right arm, accented with extreme, silky highlights. The final landing point of the audience's attention is the small monkey in the lower-right corner of the composition. He sits on the table she leans on, in the shadow, holding a smaller bunch of grapes; the animal almost mimics the Bacchante's form. The ape, symbolizing a carefree, playful, animalistic specimen on the one hand, and an untamed, unpredictable, dirty nuisance on the other. As a result of his precise use of symbolism, this vibrant painting is a dramatic personification of the detestable act of drinking heavily, likely influenced by Brugghen's strong Catholic upbringing.
Though, ter Brugghen's whereabouts before his teenage years seem to be a historical mystery, art analysts have surmised that he began his painting career at the age of 13. Brugghen was raised in a strict Catholic home in Utrecht, a province in the Netherlands. He studied under Abraham Bloemaert, a Mannerist historical painter, from whom he learned all the basics of painting, including lighting and form. (Wikipedia). Like many artists of his time, Brugghen's love for the arts during his 20's led him on
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an adventure to Italy, where he studied the finest examples of European artwork; Italy was also considered the Renaissance's painting mecca in it's prime. While in Rome, he discovered the man by whom he would base his whole painting style, the master of theatrical chiaroscuro, Michelangelo da Merisi, more commonly known as Caravaggio. Brugghen fell in love with Caravaggio's use of tenebroso, or extreme stage-like contrast. He admired Caravaggio's unique, humanistic style so much that he began to solely study Caravaggio and the Caravaggisti, a term for the artistic followers of Caravaggio. Although Brugghen was commonly known for his religious themed, and group portrait commissions, his favorite subjects were half-length portraits of musicians and drinkers (Wikipedia), as Bacchante with an Ape precisely portrays.
Upon his return to Utrecht, Brugghen partnered with Gerrit van Honthorst to lead a group of men, who followed in the painterly footsteps of Caravaggio, called the Dutch Caravaggisti. He was even hired to teach at the Utrecht School of the Arts, focusing on Caravaggio's technique, realism, and emotionally humanistic subject matter. (Hendrick Terbrugghen, the Complete Works). It was only 5 years before his premature death when Brugghen painted Bracchante with an Ape; Caravaggio was such an inspiration to Brugghen, that [especially] his later works are often mistaken as original Caravaggio pieces. The portrayal of the bracchante is actually directly modeled from Caravaggio's Bracchus3.
Bracchus is a clever painting that Caravaggio created prior to Bracchante with an Ape. Caravaggio had a very devious personality at the time; a black sheep compared to the numerous classical and restrained Renaissance painters of the time. Bracchus is considered on of many allegories that was supposed to represent a beautiful god, but instead Caravaggio's painting included himself as the model for the sickly, devious, humanisticly flawed subject.
The two paintings, Bracchus, and Bracchante with an Ape are perfectly harmonious. While directly contrasting Bracchus, Brugghen changed the composition by creating a female subject and
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adding symbolism; symbolism that directly connects this painting to Caravaggio's piece. Brugghen paralleled the placement of Bracchus' right arm, almost hugging his rotten, pale fruit, by making his Bracchante squeeze the juices from her bushel of pale grapes. In that sense, Brugghen's depiction of a Bracchante, a fond follower of Bracchus, could be an abstract self-portrait of Hendrick ter Brugghen himself, who follows Caravaggio. An ode to Caravaggio just before Brugghen's death in 1629. (Hendrick Terbrugghen, the Complete Works).
Brugghen was a Dutch, Baroque, Caravaggisti painter who's style influenced master artists for years to come. His rendering of religious figures can be compared to the works of Rembrant, a fellow Dutch painter and etcher; also, some elements of his style can be seen in the art pieces by Frans Hals, as well as Johannes Vermeer. In the European painting realm, he is considered a Dutch master, Peter Paul Ruben's described ter Brugghen's work as '...above that of all the other Utrecht artists.' (Hendrick Terbrugghen, the Complete Works). His greatest inspiration, and the definition of his complete artistic career can be summarized by Bracchante with an Ape; that is why this piece is such an analytical marvel art historians everywhere.