The Departure of the Angel 1555

Maarten van Heemskerck made this small pen and brown ink drawing, called ‘The Departure of the Angel’, in the mid-16th century. It depicts a scene of divine visitation and departure, and reflects both the religious sensibilities of its time and the artistic conventions that Heemskerck inherited and reshaped. The Netherlands in the 1500s was a place of deep religious change, as people moved away from traditional Catholic beliefs towards new Protestant ideas. Heemskerck's drawing is full of religious feeling, but the artist seems more interested in the drama of the scene, and how to use renaissance perspective to tell the story. The angel flies away from a classical building and a landscape that evokes the Italian countryside. We can see how Italian art influenced artists in Northern Europe at the time. To fully appreciate Heemskerck's work, you could examine the religious texts that inspired it, as well as studying the artist's other works. Consider also the artistic and religious institutions of the time. Approaching the image in this way, we gain a deeper understanding of its meaning, and its place within the culture of its time.