O Cantor
1620s
Hendrick ter Brugghen captures a young man completely lost in the throes of a passionate performance. Decked out in a fancy feathered hat and a shimmering, heavy cloak, the singer looks skyward with his mouth wide open, clutching a massive songbook like a lifeline. Ter Brugghen was a Dutch artist who traveled to Italy and became obsessed with Caravaggio’s dramatic lighting style. You can see that influence here—the figure emerges from a deep, dark background as if illuminated by a single, theatrical spotlight, a technique that defined the Baroque era in the 1620s.
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