Elsheimer, Adam

Adam Elsheimer, Elsheimer also spelled Ehlsheimer, (baptized March 18, 1578, Frankfurt am Main [Germany]—died Dec. 11, 1610, Rome [Italy]), German painter and printmaker, recognized as an important figure in the development of 17th-century landscape painting, noted especially for his atmospheric use of light.

Elsheimer studied with Philipp Uffenbach in Frankfurt, where he learned the basic techniques of German Renaissance art. He also was influenced by the works of several Dutch landscape painters. He traveled to Munich and later to Venice, where he was inspired by the work of Tintoretto. Elsheimer’s works of this period explore the expressive, often mysterious effects of light. When he went to Rome in 1600, Elsheimer joined a group of artists that included Peter Paul Rubens and Paul Brill, and he began to produce paintings of Italian classical subjects and landscapes with small figures, often overpowered by massive foliage. His interest in lighting increased after he studied the works of Caravaggio, who had exploited the dramatic effects of chiaroscuro.

Elsheimer produced small and intricate paintings on copper and many larger, more vigorous drawings. His frequent depiction of illumination by firelight and candlelight was unusual for the period. Flight into Egypt (1609) is one of the first nocturnal landscape paintings in which the Moon and the stars are the principal sources of light. Elsheimer greatly influenced the Dutch and Italian schools, and particularly Rembrandt and Claude Lorrain. His early death had a disturbing effect on other artists of his time.