The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (218 page)

(1920–92).
British abstract painter. In 1949 and 1951 he visited St Ives, where he met Ben
Nicholson
, and he formed a link between the
St Ives School
and London-based
Constructivists
such as Victor
Pasmore
and Kenneth and Mary
Martin
. During the early 1950s he was a significant figure in promoting abstract art—by organizing collective exhibitions at his London studio (at 22 Fitzroy Street) in 1951, 1952, and 1953, and by writing a short popular book on the subject,
Abstract Painting: Its Origin and Meaning
(1953), which begins with the sentence: ‘There seems to be little understanding of the values of abstract painting and consequently no general appreciation of its qualities.’ The exhibitions helped to inspire Lawrence
Alloway's
book
Nine Abstract Artists
(1954). Heath's paintings of this time featured large, block-like slabs of colour, heavily brushed. He also made a few constructions. Later his paintings became freer and more dynamic.

 
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(1883–1970).
German painter and graphic artist, one of the founders of Die
Brücke
. His work was somewhat more lyrical than that of the other members of Die Brücke and he showed a special concern for depicting sickness and inner anguish. His landscapes, too, sometimes displayed a decorative quality which was foreign to most German
Expressionism
. In 1911 he settled in Berlin with
Kirchner
and other members of Die Brücke. Here, as a result of contacts with
Feininger
,
Macke
, and Franz
Marc
, the formal structure of his painting gained in strength and coherence. But his image of humanity became even more pessimistic, with harshly angular distortions, anguished expressions, and rigid, distracted gestures. In the First World War Heckel served as a medical orderly in Flanders and came into contact there with
Ensor
and
Beckmann
, by whom he was again influenced. His landscapes became more sombre in colour, expressing the agony of war through conflict of the elements, and the melancholic and tragic mood of his work was enhanced. After 1920 his style became more conventional, losing its verve and intensity. His work was declared
degenerate
by the Nazis in 1937. In 1944 his Berlin studio was destroyed by fire and he retired to Hemmenhofen on Lake Constance. From 1949 to 1955 he taught at the Karlsruhe Academy.

 
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(1593/4–1680/2).
Dutch still-life painter, active in Haarlem. He and Pieter
Claesz.
are the most important representatives of
ontbijt
(breakfast piece) painting in the Netherlands. His overall grey-green or brownish tonalities are very similar to those of Claesz., but Heda's work was usually more highly finished and his taste was more aristocratic. He showed a preference for ham, mincemeat pie, and oysters, and after 1629 never included a herring in his pictures. His son Gerrit (d. 1702) was his most important pupil.

 
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(1606–83/4).
Dutch still-life painter. He was born in Utrecht and his rare early pictures are in the style of Balthasar van der
Ast
, who taught him there. Later he worked in Leiden and showed that he had studied the restrained and simple works of the Haarlem still-life artists
Claesz
. and
Heda
. In 1636 he moved to Antwerp, became a citizen of that city in 1637, and spent most of his very productive life there. The paintings he did in Flanders are the ones for which he is most renowned and are very different in spirit from his earlier works: splendid flower pieces and large compositions of exquisitely laid tables which breathe all the opulent exuberance of Flemish
Baroque
painting. His work formed a link between the Dutch and Flemish still-life traditions and he is claimed by both schools. He came from a large family of painters and his many followers in Flanders and Holland included his son Cornelis de Heem (1631–95).

 
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(1498–1574).
Netherlandish
Mannerist
painter, born at Heemskerck and active mainly in nearby Haarlem. His principal training was with Jan van
Scorel
in Utrecht,
c.
1527–9. Although Heemskerck was only three years younger than Scorel and was a mature man when he entered his studio (he had already studied with two other teachers), the experience left a distinctive mark on him. In some pictures, particularly the portraits, experts still have difficulty differentiating their hands. As a rule, however, Heemskerck's paintings are more crowded and nervous than Scorel's balanced and harmonious compositions. Equally important for Heemskerck's development was a visit to Italy (1532–5), where he was overwhelmed by
Michelangelo
. When he returned to the Netherlands he emulated Michelangelo by painting large works packed with muscle-bound figures in vigorous movement (
Christ Crowned with Thorns
, Hals Museum, Haarlem). During his stay in Rome Heemskerck made drawings of ancient and modern buildings and sculpture; they are valuable historical documents as well as sensitive impressions of the marvels of Rome. His interest in antiquity also comes out in his self-portrait of 1533 (Fitzwilliam, Cambridge), in which he shows the Colosseum in the background. Heemskerck was one of the leading Netherlandish painters of the 16th cent. and his work was much engraved and highly influential.

 
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