Circa 1570/73 – Antwerp – 1618/19


A painter from Antwerp, Abel Grimmer did his apprenticeship with his father Jacob Grimmer (c. 1526 – 1590), a landscape painter, before being accepted into the Guild of Saint Luke in 1592.

He painted numerous small-scale landscapes, depicting rural scenes that sometimes included biblical motifs. However, he mainly specialised in series devoted to the Four Seasons and the Twelve Months, which can be seen as a translation of his miniature calendars onto panels. Like his contemporary Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564 – 1638), he worked on his own interpretation of certain engravings and models developed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c.1525 – 1569) and Hans Bol (1534 – 1593). He therefore remained deeply attached to the archaic conception and spirit of the 16th century. He likely also studied architecture; indeed, it is this professional outlook – in the interpretation of buildings and perspectives – that is reflected in his paintings of church and palace interiors, as well as in his panoramic views of the city of Antwerp and his towers of Babel.

He demonstrated great skill in drawing, as well as an acute and keen sense of observation. His work is characterised by a precise and linear drawing style, a synthetic vision of nature in the style of the primitives and miniaturists, a composition with schematic lines, and extreme subtlety in the choice and juxtaposition of colours. His pictorial conception of landscapes combines a desire to remain close to nature with a stylisation of its forms that seems remarkably modern to the contemporary eye.