Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. Maerten Van Heemskerck died in 1574; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1644.
In context
The Fall — Maerten Van Heemskerck
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 76 at death.
Painted when the artist was 32. The artist lived to 76. 4 of the 69 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.
Shaded: the lifetime of Maerten Van Heemskerck (1498–1574) ▲ this work, 1530 every dated painting, decade by decade
First works: up to 1532 Main working years: 1532–1559 Late works: from 1559
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/maerten-van-heemskerck-the-fall-8XYGGH-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Putty #e7c0a2
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 71.9% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 86 works by this artist, of which 35 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
maerten van heemskerck, a prominent dutch portrait and religious painter, was born on june 1, 1498, in the village of heemskerk, north holland. his artistic journey began under the guidance of cornelius willemsz in haarlem, followed by a brief stint in delft with jan lucasz. eventually, he became a pupil of jan van scorel, adopting his teacher's italian-influenced style.
maerten van heemskerck's work is characterized by its innovative blend of dutch and italian influences, as seen in his famous family portrait, considered the first of its kind in a long line of dutch family paintings.
his collaboration with antonio da sangallo the younger, battista franco, and francesco de' rossi (il salviati) on the redecoration of the porta san sebastiano in rome, a triumphal arch in honor of charles v, showcases his rapid execution as a scene-painter.
heemskerck's drawings of classical sculpture and architecture, now preserved in two sketchbooks at the kupferstichkabinett berlin, demonstrate his skill in capturing the essence of italian art.
the donor and saint mary magdalene (view at AllPaintingsStore)
the virgin and saint john the evangelist (view at AllPaintingsStore)
samson shattering the pillars of the temple, maarten van heemskerck (view at AllPaintingsStore)
maerten van heemskerck's profound impact on the art world is undeniable. his works, now a part of various museum collections, including the rijksmuseum, continue to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike. to explore more of his masterpieces, visit maerten van heemskerck's page on AllPaintingsStore. for a deeper understanding of his life and works, refer to his biography on wikipedia.
topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/maerten-van-heemskerck-the-fall-8XYGGH-en/
Look closely
The Fall — Maerten Van Heemskerck
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
The diaporama of "The Fall" can be watched on the artwork's Diaporama page.
"The Fall" by Maerten Van Heemskerck is a portrait composition. The proportions are worth checking before choosing a print size.
The X-Ray page of "The Fall" by Maerten Van Heemskerck is an interactive viewer that lets you slide through eleven optical layers of the artwork's image, including an X-ray style view.