Retracing Caravaggio's influence on the painting practice of Flemish Caravaggisti : A technical perspective

The technical study of the Flemish Caravaggisti has been relatively neglected when compared to the understanding gained of the material aspects both of the paintings of Caravaggio and of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, especially the first generation. Consequently, it is still unclear at present to what extent the painting techniques of Flemish Caravaggisti depended directly on the working methods of Caravaggio himself? And related to this question, to what degree were these group of artists preoccupied with getting the appearance of Caravaggio’s compositional innovations using techniques with which they were already familiar? These questions will be discussed based on new insights acquired recently by means of technical research on the working methods of two Flemish Caravaggisti: Melchior de la Mars (c. 1585-1650) and Theodoor Rombouts (1597–1637).