Abraham Govaerts

Abraham Govaerts (name variations: Goevaerts, Gouvaert, Goyvaert, Goyvaerts, Godvarte, Goijvaerts) (1589 – 9 September 1626) was a Flemish painter who specialized in small cabinet-sized forest landscapes in the manner of Jan Brueghel the Elder and Gillis van Coninxloo.

He was born in Antwerp where his father was an art dealer. There is no information on his training. In view of the influence on his early oeuvre of Jan Brueghel the Elder, some believe he may have apprenticed in the latter’s workshop but there is no evidence for this. He became a master in Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke in 1607–1608.

He married Isabella Gielis (died a few days after Govaerts on 13 September 1626), with whom he had two daughters named Isabella en Suzanna. He was active throughout his career in Antwerp. He became deacon of the local Guild of Saint Luke in 1623.

He trained several artists including Alexander Keirincx, Nicolaes Aertsens and Gysbrecht van der Berch.

Govaerts was known for his landscape paintings, usually wooded landscapes with a diminutive history, mythological or biblical subject or a hunting scene. His landscapes initially followed the Mannerist style of the three-colour world landscape in which the figures are bracketed by repoussoir trees. His palette at the time exaggerated the brown foreground and the blue tones in the foliage. An example is the composition Diana and Actaeon (Pushkin Museum, Moscow).

Another major influence was the landscape painter Gillis van Coninxloo. A painting entitled Landscape with River Vale and Falcon Hunt (Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp) is inspired by the work of Joos de Momper.

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