1626
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
The Denial of Saint Peter is a 1626 oil by Hendrick ter Brugghen, a Baroque work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
The painting shows a scene where Saint Peter is denying he's a follower of Jesus. He's in the shadows, while a servant points at him near a fire. The fire is a key part of the scene, making the moment feel tense. The way the light and shadow are used makes the scene feel dramatic. The artist used the fire to create strong contrasts, which adds to the emotion. This kind of lighting is an example of a technique called chiaroscuro.
For this depiction of Peter denying that he is a follower of Jesus (seen under arrest in the background at right), Utrecht artist Hendrick ter Brugghen embraced the strong contrast of light and shadow and emotional urgency popularized by Italian painter Caravaggio. The dancing sparks of the fire illuminate the servant’s condemnatory finger and shroud the fearful saint in shadow, underlining the Dutch taste for naturalistic treatments of lighting in the 17th century.
Reedtz-Thott collection, Guanø Castle near Næstved, Denmark, by ca. 1750 [according to letter from Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott dated July 26, 2004 in curatorial file]; Baron Kjeld Thor Tage Otto Reedtz -Thott (died 1923), 2nd Baron Guanø, Guanø Castle, Denmark by at least 1914; by decent to Baron Axel Reedtz-Thott, Guanø Castle, Denmark; sold by him to a London dealer in the late 1960’s [according to the letter from his son, Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott, cited above]. Wildenstein and Company, New York, by 1968; sold to the Art Institute in 1969.
Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina Museum of Art, Sinners and Saints, Darkness and Light: Caravaggio and His Dutch and Flemish Followers, September 27-December 13, 1998, pp. 107-110, cat. 14, cat. by Denis P. Weller et al.; traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Milwaukee Art Museum, January 29-April 18, 1999, and Dayton, Ohio, The Dayton Art Institute, May 8-July 18, 1999.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Hendrick Jansz ter Brugghen (or Terbrugghen; 1588 – 1 November 1629) was a Dutch painter of genre scenes and religious subjects.
See the richer artist page
