Syracuse University fine arts professor completes first major study of Dutch master Hendrick ter Brugghen in nearly 50 years

Syracuse University fine arts professor completes first major study of Dutch master Hendrick ter Brugghen in nearly 50 yearsJuly 09, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

In his newest publication, Wayne Franits, chair and professor of fine arts in The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, presents the first major study of early 17th-century Dutch painter Hendrick ter Brugghen in nearly 50 years. “The Paintings of Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629)” (John Benjamins Publishing Co., 2007) explores the Dutch master’s development as an artist and the contemporary reception of his work.

Franits completed research conducted over 30 years by the book’s co-author, the late Leonard J. Slatkes. An internationally renowned expert on the art of Dutch Caravaggisti and Distinguished Professor of Art History at New York’s Queens College, Slatkes died in 2003. A former student of Slatkes, Franits pursued his mentor’s expectation of eventually publishing a new monograph on ter Brugghen.

“Although I had some trepidation about taking on such a potentially immense and important monograph, I agreed to do so out of respect for Slatkes and my appreciation for how much he had enriched my own training and subsequent career as an art historian,” says Franits. “It was a laborious and, at times, an enormously frustrating task, but in the end, I can say it was definitely worth it. Ter Brugghen may not be well known among the public today, but he was an immensely important Dutch artist in the early 17th century. His paintings are still in strong demand among institutional and private collectors.”

The publication includes a monumental catalogue of ter Brugghen’s 89 authentic paintings, 54 pictures associated with the artist and/or his workshop, 141 rejected works, 42 lost works and 10 drawings that have been linked to the artist directly and/or are related to his paintings. “The Paintings of Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629)” is part of the series OCULI: Studies in the Arts of the Low Countries, which provides a forum for historical research on the arts of a region corresponding to what is now the Netherlands and Belgium.

Franits completed research for the monograph with the help of a grant awarded in 2005-06 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a specialist in 17th-century Dutch art and the author of numerous publications, including the recent book “Pieter de Hooch: A Woman Preparing Bread and Butter for a Boy (Getty Museum Studies on Art)” (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007).