Dutch painter

Dordrecht 1612 – 1652 Dordrecht

 

Versatile painter of genre scenes, religious, mythological and allegorical subjects, battle scenes and of landscapes.

 

Member of the most important family of painters from Dordrecht.

Benjamin was the youngest son of the second marriage of the glass-painter Gerrit Gerritsz. Cuyp.

According to the Dutch painters’ biographer, Arnold Houbraken in his “De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen”, published in 1718, Benjamin was a pupil of his older step-brother Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp (1594 – 1651/52), together with his cousin Aelbert Cuyp (1620 – 1691). 

Jacob is best known for his portraits, Aelbert for his landscapes.

Jacob also painted still lifes, genre scenes, religious and mythological subjects, his son Aelbert occasionally painted portraits, stable interiors and biblical subjects.

 

Benjamin, although not known as a pupil of Rembrandt, was clearly influenced by him, especially in his religious subjects in his handling of claire-obscure (chiaroscuro), in his sketchy technique with broad brushstrokes and ochre-brown-yellow tonalities.

 

Our painter still lived in Dordrecht at the end of 1641. But after that date he developed his career mainly outside his native town: in 1643 he is documented at The Hague (where he probably settled the year before), in 1645 he was in Utrecht. He remained here until his return to Dordrecht, probably shortly before his early death, unmarried, at the age of 39 in 1652. 

 

Thanks to his rapid technique and an almost monochrome colour pallet he managed to produce a large number of paintings before his premature death.