Anthony Van Dyck. Self-portrait. 1622-1623 State Hermitage. wikipedia.org
Flanders. Antwerp. Anthony van Dyck was born in a wealthy merchant family in 1599. He was the seventh child. His mother will give birth to five more. And he will die shortly after the 12th birth. Antonis was only 8 years old.
His father saw nothing wrong with his son wanting to become an artist. After all, his mother masterfully embroidered. He himself was fond of drawing in his youth. Therefore, with a light heart at the age of 10, the father sent the boy to study with the artist.
Having talent and extraordinary perseverance, after 4 years of study, young Van Dyck began to work independently.
Van Dyck was a child prodigy
Here is his self-portrait, painted at the age of 14. Van Dijk was clearly a child prodigy. Agree, it is already clear that this boy is molded from a special test. Both ambition and self-confidence are read in the look.
Anthony Van Dyck. Self-portrait. 1613 Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. wikipedia.org His progress has been noticed. At the age of 18, he was accepted into the guild of St. Luke, which united artists. Only within the framework of this guild did the artist have the right to take orders and receive money for them.
And they accepted him into the guild thanks to a series of amazing works. He creates the "Heads of the Apostles". Here is one of the sketches.
Anthony Van Dyck. Heads of an old man. 1618 House of Rocox Museum in Antwerp, Belgium From this work, we can already say that Anthony van Dyck should be a great portrait painter.
But while he has not yet realized this, he falls into the disciples of the great Rubens.
Who is better, Van Dyck or Rubens?
At the age of 24, Antonis writes his next masterpiece. Portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio.
Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio. 1625 Palazzo Pitti, Florence What is special about this portrait? And the fact that before us is not just a church official vested with power. Before us is a person with a certain character. Intelligent and well-read. ambitious diplomat. Guido was a controversial person.
On the one hand, he did a lot to prevent a recurrence Bartholomew night*. On the other hand, he was one of those who signed the death warrant for Galileo Galilei. Although once was his student.
There were enough orders in Italy. But in 1627 Van Dyck returned to Antwerp.
Van Dyck could have become a religious artist
The artist's return was forced by misfortune in the family. His sister became seriously ill. However, he did not have time to catch her alive.
For several years, Van Dyck has been focusing on religious subjects. Apparently under the influence of what happened. This is how his painting “The Ascension of Mary” appeared.
Anthony Van Dyck. Ascension of Mary. 1628-1629 National Gallery Washington. Nga.gov For some reason, Van Dyck depicted all the holy virgins with thick necks. Yes, and some of his angels are very strange. That's why one of them wrapped his head in a veil? Moreover, he looks at us so capriciously.
Here, for comparison, is a painting by Rubens on the same subject.
Peter Paul Rubens. Ascension of Mary. 1618 Kunstpalast Museum, Düsseldorf. Artchive.ru Rubens has more loftiness, religious solemnity. His characters do not imply ambiguity. Mary is impeccable. Angels too.
No, after all, it was not in vain that Van Dyck retreated. Why fight genius? When you can go to another country and become equal in greatness, but in a different genre. So Van Dyck did.
Why Van Dyck moved to England
In 1632, Van Dyck received an offer from King Charles I of England to become a court painter.
He agreed. In England, he had every chance of becoming the number one artist. The British did not need altar paintings. In this they differed from the Catholics. But portraits were ordered with pleasure.
This is what portraiture was like in England before the arrival of Van Dyck.
Portraits by William Larkin. Left: Lady Love. 1610-1620 Private collection. Right: George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, 1616 National Portrait Gallery, London
What do you see? Absolutely motionless dolls. With skin color and thinness of seriously ill creatures. And neither a bright blush nor smart clothes can revive these people.
No wonder Van Dyck captivated the English aristocracy. And especially King Charles I.
Here is Van Dyck's most famous portrait of him. "Charles I on the hunt".
Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of Charles 1 on the hunt. 1635. renessans.ru Before us is a living person. Gentleman. No heavy dresses, just a hunting suit. Casual, but aristocratic pose. The languid look of a man endowed with power.
The king had something to be delighted with. And he orders his portrait, as well as portraits of his wife and children 30 times!
Anthony Van Dyck. Queen Henrietta Maria and Sir Geoffrey Hudson. 1633 Washington National Gallery Van Dyck, of course, embellished his customers. We can judge this by the memoirs of their contemporaries. One lady saw portraits of Van Dyck. By which I concluded that all the ladies in England are beautiful.
But she was very disappointed when she saw Queen Henrietta Maria live. Instead of a pretty woman, an elderly person appeared to her with skinny arms, crooked shoulders and front teeth sticking out of her mouth.
Finest Hour by Van Dyck
The master was given the title of nobleman. He received a knighthood from the hands of the king. Dreams came true.
The most noble nobles of British society pose for him. He has no end to expensive orders.
Van Dyck masterfully feels and conveys on the canvas the atmosphere of the royal environment. The portrait painter gives pride to the posture of his clients, and elegant nobility to postures and gestures.
Here are the offspring of the Stewart family. One of the most famous portraits Van Dyck.
Anthony Van Dyck. Lord John Stewart and his brother Lord Bernard Stewart. 1638 National London gallery. Nationalgallery.org.uk These gentlemen are only 17 and 16 years old. Both of them will die at the age of 23 on civil war. As a result of which Charles I himself will die. He will be the only one executed English king throughout the history of England.
Anthony Van Dyck. Lady d'Aubigny and the Countess of Portland. 1638-1639 , Moscow And these ladies tell their family history. The one on the left is the sister of the husband of the one on the right. The portrait was painted as a sign of their reconciliation. After all, Earl Stewart married a girl without the consent of the family. After some time, his relatives recognized this marriage. And the count's sister favorably demonstrates this.
Van Dyck was also an unsurpassed children's portrait painter. Although he depicts them in adult poses and adult clothes. Otherwise, etiquette did not allow.
But in their eyes we can catch mischief. And each one has its own character.
Anthony Van Dyck. King Charles' Elder Children 1. 1636 Royal Art Collection, Windsor Castle, UK Pot, don't boil
Van Dyck was inundated with similar orders. Every aristocrat longed to be captured by Van Dyck.
As a result, it turned out like in a fairy tale, “Pot, do not cook.”
The work was put on stream. The artist gave the customer less than an hour a day. With his hand, he depicted only the main thing, and everything else was written by his students from invited sitters.
Or he wrote everything himself, but in a hurry. Working on two or even five portraits at the same time. Some carelessness appeared in the works.
But this did not deter the customers. On the contrary, his thin layer of paint and quick strokes made the image more alive, vibrating. What really liked his models.
Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of Sir Anthony George Digby. 1638 Dulwich Picture Gallery, UK. commons.wikimedia.org Van Dyck's personal life
In England, Van Dyck had a beloved Margaret Lemon. She was his model. They were in a relationship for over a year.
But he decided to marry an aristocrat. Miss Lemon was in complete shock when she found out about the engagement of her lover. Made a scandal by trying to bite off the artist's finger. So that he can no longer write. But fortunately she failed to do so.
Anthony Van Dyck. Margaret Lemon (portrait not finished). 1639 Hampton Court Castle, UK. Royalcollection.org.uk The unfortunate had to reconcile. And at the age of 40, the artist married Mary Ruthven, a young lady-in-waiting to the Queen. So he himself became an English aristocrat.
Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of Maria Rusven, the artist's wife. 1639. Artchive.ru Was it love? Or another conceited act? Unknown. In any case, family happiness did not last very long.
Once Van Dyck went to Paris, where he painted the galleries of the Louvre. There he became seriously ill. Returning home in December 1641, he died. He was only 42 years old.
He was buried on the day of the christening of his newborn daughter. Which at that time was only eight days old.
Why is Van Dyck so famous?
Van Dyck became the greatest portrait painter. Which in itself is phenomenal. Since there are few well-known names in this genre. For one simple reason.
The portrait painter is forced to please the customer. And in such a vice, few people manage to bring something of their own. And even more so to influence the development of painting.
Van Dyck succeeded in both. And the customers were happy. And he glorified his name for many generations to come. 'Cause he raised the bar on next level.
Now a self-respecting artist had no right to depict motionless dolls. From now on, in the eyes of each model, character must be read. How did you do it genius wang Dyck.
About other outstanding artist Read the Baroque era in the article Similar
The famous portrait painter Van Dyck, whose paintings are known to many people, studied with the famous Rubens. His works had themes of myths and religion. They are similar to the works of the teacher, but still carry their own individuality. Rubens was distinguished by his temperament, excessive emotionality, which was reflected in his works, but the paintings of Van Dyck retained the restraint and calmness of their author.
Biography
Antwerp became the birthplace of the future genius artist. His father was a wealthy businessman and brought up the family aristocracy in his son. Perhaps that is why many of the works of Anthony van Dyck are permeated with fragility and sophistication.
The artist traveled little and spent most of his life in Antwerp. On native land he painted portraits of his acquaintances and friends. Moreover, the man tried to convey and create works with maximum realism. Although it is also noticeable that some models acquired the aristocracy characteristic of the artist. The local nobility fell in love with Dyck, and the young man received many orders. Paintings by Anthony van Dyck became more popular every day.
In 1632 Antonis had to leave hometown, as the famous Rubens returned home. The artist did not want to compete with his teacher, so he moved to England. Here he was waiting for real glory: Dyck became the main painter of King Charles I.
In England, the artist managed to establish own school portrait art. Here he continued to paint portraits famous people. In 1639, the painter found his love, Mary Ruthven, and married her.
The last years of his life, Antonis was engaged in major projects and was completely inspired. He worked on a cycle of tapestries for the palace in London, worked with the galleries of the Louvre. But, unfortunately, Van Dyck's wishes did not come true: the artist fell ill and died in 1641. In his will, he asked for his burial in St. Paul.
Van Dyck's paintings have common feature, which distinguishes them from the whole series of works Flemish artists. But, as mentioned earlier, it was portraits that became the most popular.
"Saint Bruno"
The painting "Saint Bruno" was painted in 1620. To this day, there is no exact evidence that this is a painting by Antonis. Nevertheless, there is an assumption that this is his work, which is attributed to early period creativity. The painting was painted at a time when the young painter helped Rubens to work on the painting of the church.
Van Dyck is not difficult to give. His works are not intricate, and everything is clear on them. Saint Bruno is located on the canvas, painted in oil. The image is presented in three quarters and is placed against the background of a window with a bright fabric. You can see the landscape in the window. The power of Saint Bruno is shown bright light which falls from above. Such illumination symbolizes Christ. The viewer's attention is focused on the face and hands of St. Bruno. There are no more details that would distract from the main idea.
"Self-portrait"
This is a piece that depicts Van Dyck. Paintings of this theme are always becoming popular. Antonis created it after he returned from Italy. The painting is now part of the Hermitage collection and is the pearl of the collection.
Many to this day believe that this is the best creation of the Flemish painter. Contemporaries called Dyck "the darling of fate", and this is depicted in the "Self-Portrait". Antonis looks like a secular gentleman in the picture, his features are thin, and his hands are well-groomed. Van Dyck's paintings have always been distinguished by their particular elegance, and this work is not without refinement. Creation was written in 1622-1623. oil.
"Portrait of James Stewart"
Van Dyck's paintings with titles are described by us. They are known throughout the world. "The portrait was painted in 1634-1635. In the next portrait, the author depicted the famous duke. The young man was the king's cousin, and his appearance clearly shows belonging to the royal family. The camisole is adorned with a silver star representing a Commander of the Order of the Garter. His figure is proud, and the artist depicted Stewart in such a way that he looks as if from above.
Anthony masterfully emphasized the long figure of James with a mass of elements. There is a narrow frame, and a tall dog, which was the favorite of the duke. Despite trying to be strict and arrogant, Stuart attracts everyone with his charm and kindness.
"Charles I on the hunt"
The artist created the picture for three years, since 1635. The canvas depicts Charles I, who leans on a cane and stands on the edge of the abyss. The figure of the king is the main one in the picture. It is clearly visible against the light sky, and the hat is a contrasting accent that emphasizes the expressiveness of the image.
"Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter"
The painting, painted in 1635, is a kind of opposition between the artist and Endymion Porter. The latter looked like a man from a bourgeois family, but achieved respect and honor among high titles. Van Dyck did a great job on his portrayal of himself in a favorable light, but Porter's figure looks too simple.
The position of the hands of the heroes can also tell a lot. Their friendship is evidenced by the fact that they both keep their hands on the stone. But the fact that the painter put on a glove, perhaps, speaks of the nature of people's friendship. After all, if you look closely, the second hand of Anthony is naked.
"Portrait of Margaret of Lorraine"
This is another portrait painted by Van Dyck in 1634. It is a masterful depiction of Margarita. Antonis created a refined figure of the girl, emphasizing the beauty of her neck and hands. You can't find bright and aggressive colors on the canvas, but restraint gives youth and attractiveness.
"Lady Elizabeth Timbelby and Dorothy"
Two Catholic sisters, Elizabeth and Dorothy, fit on the canvas. The portrait was created on the eve of the wedding of one of them. The picture conveys historical character events. Antonis depicted Elisabeth on the left as restrained, indicating her marriage. But Dorothy is holding a basket of flowers in her hands, which characterizes the upcoming wedding and the sincere love of a young woman.
"Equestrian portrait of Charles I"
This picture was painted in 1637-1638, and it depicted Charles I as warlike and courageous. The warrior king is seated on a horse, he is wearing knightly armor, and in his hand is a command rod. His attire comes from 16th century Greenwich.
Charles I became King of Great Britain and Ireland in 1625. When Van Dyck became the chief painter of the king, masterpieces began to appear from under his brush. According to the works that were found, it is known that Antonis created 35 portraits of Charles I, of which seven were equestrian.
"Portrait of a knight with a red armband"
This masterpiece is considered the best of the works of Anthony van Dyck. The artist was able to create the perfect composition. The figure looks as if in motion, strength, energy and courage come from it. Most likely, the success of this portrait is associated with a period of inspiration in the work of Van Dyck. After the painter had problems with money, so the volume of work increased, and the inspiration left the artist.
The main difference between Dutch and Flemish art to this day remains that still life painting prevailed in the former, and portraits in the latter. The artist Van Dyck, whose paintings still adorn famous galleries and museums, became the most prominent representative bringing into the world formal portrait.
Anthony van Dyck (March 22, 1599 - December 9, 1641) was a South Dutch (Flemish) painter and graphic artist, a master of court portraits and baroque religious subjects.
Biography of Anthony van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck was born on March 22, 1599 in Antwerp, the son of a wealthy textile merchant Frans van Dyck. He was the seventh of twelve children.
In 1609, at the age of 10, he was given to the workshop famous painter Hendrik van Balen, who painted on mythological themes.
Antonis painted his first masterpiece when he was 14 years old - a portrait of a 70-year-old man. Since 1615, van Dyck already had his own workshop, where he, together with a number of young artists, created the series “Heads of the Apostles”.
Creativity Dyck
His early works include Self-portrait (c. 1615, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), distinguished by grace and elegance.
In 1618-1620 he creates a cycle of 13 boards depicting Christ and the apostles: St. Simon (c. 1618, London, private collection), St. Matthew (c. 1618, London, private collection). The expressive faces of the apostles are painted in a free pictorial manner. Now a significant part of the boards of this cycle is scattered in museums around the world.
In February 1618, van Dyck was accepted as a master in the painters' guild of St. Luke and, already having his own workshop, collaborated with Rubens, working as an assistant in his workshop.
Van Dyck showed himself early as a master of portraiture and painting for religious and mythological subjects. From 1618 to 1620 he worked in the workshop of Rubens.
He creates works on religious themes, often in several versions: "Coronation with Thorns" (1621, 1st Berlin version - not preserved; 2nd - Madrid, Prado); "Kiss of Judas" (c. 1618-1620, 1st version - Madrid, Prado; 2nd - Minneapolis, Institute of Arts); "Carrying the Cross" (c. 1617-1618, Antwerp, Sint-Pauluskerk); "St. Martin and the Beggars "(1620-1621, 1st version - Windsor Castle, Royal Assembly; 2nd version - Zaventem, San Martin Church)," The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian" (1624-1625, Munich, Alte Pinakothek).
In late 1620 - early 1621, van Dyck worked at the court of the English King James I, but then returned to Antwerp. For some time he lived in Italy, mainly in Genoa.
Since 1632, the painter again lived in London, working as a court painter to Charles I.
In 1632 the king knighted him, and in 1633 granted him the status of a royal painter. The painter received a solid salary.
In England he married the daughter of Lord Ruthven.
The famous Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck was supposed to paint a portrait of the English queen, whose appearance was far from perfect.
The problem was that the queen insisted on the plausibility of the image, and the artist was afraid that the closer the portrait was to the original, the lower the fee might be. When the portrait was completed and presented to a high-ranking customer, she carefully peered at the image and asked:
- Why is the face depicted in full accordance with my appearance, and the hands are depicted so beautiful?
“Your Majesty,” replied the painter, “I am a realist, so I depicted the face as it is, especially since it does not promise me any rewards. After all, I will have to receive a reward from your hands, so I embellished them a little.
VAN DYCK, ANTONIS (1599-1641) - the famous Flemish painter, master of portrait, mythological, religious painting, etching. His work fell on the period when, after the partition of the Netherlands into Holland and Flanders, the most Big City Flanders Antwerp, the birthplace of the artist, began to revive after the war. In art, the head and leader was Peter Paul Rubens, whose work, along with the work of Jacob Jordaens, Frans Snyders (1579–1657) and, of course, Van Dyck, determined the path of development Flemish school painting of the second half of the 17th century.
Anthony van Dyck was born March 22, 1599 in Antwerp, was the seventh child in the family of a wealthy cloth merchant Frans van Dyck, who was friends with many Antwerp artists. In 1609, at the age of 10, he was sent to the workshop of the famous painter Hendrick van Balen (1574/75–1632), who painted paintings on mythological themes.
In 1615-1616 Van Dyck opens his own workshop. TO early work includes his Self-portrait (c. 1615, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), distinguished by grace and elegance. In 1618-1620 he creates a cycle of 13 boards depicting Christ and the apostles: St. Simon (c. 1618, London, private collection), St. Matthew (c. 1618, London, private collection). The expressive faces of the apostles are painted in a free pictorial manner. Now a significant part of the boards of this cycle is scattered in museums around the world. In 1618, Van Dyck was accepted as a master in the painters' guild of St. Luke and, already having his own workshop, collaborated with Rubens, working as an assistant in his workshop.
From 1618 to 1620, Van Dyck creates works on religious themes, often in several versions: Crowning with thorns (1621, 1st Berlin version - not preserved; 2nd - Madrid, Prado); Kiss of Judas (c. 1618-1620, 1st version - Madrid, Prado; 2nd - Minneapolis, Institute of Arts); Carrying the Cross (c. 1617–1618, Antwerp, Sint-Pauluskerk); St. Martin and the Beggars (1620-1621, 1st version - Windsor Castle, Royal Assembly; 2nd version - Zaventem, St. Martin Church), Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (1624–1625, Munich, Alte Pinakothek).
Anthony van Dyck owes his fame to the portrait genre, which in the hierarchy of genres European painting occupied a low position. However, in Flanders by this time a tradition of portrait art had already developed. Van Dyck painted hundreds of portraits, several self-portraits, became one of the creators of the ceremonial portrait of the 17th century. In portraits of his contemporaries, he showed their intellectual, emotional world, spiritual life, the living character of man. In early portraits, Van Dyck paints wealthy citizens, artists with families. The theme of the image of families and couples, so widespread in the art of the Netherlands in the 16th century, was picked up by Van Dyck: Portrait of Frans Snyders with Marguerite de Vos (c. 1621, Kassel, Art Gallery). In the famous Family Portrait (1623, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), Van Dyck conveyed natural movements and gestures, seemingly random poses, lively glances directed at the viewer - he brings all these innovations to the art of portraiture. TO famous portraits This period also includes the Portrait of Cornelius van der Gest (c. 1620, London, National Gallery), fanned by subtle psychologism.
In 1920, on the initiative of the Royal Marshal Thomas Howerd, Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), Van Dyck was invited to England as a court painter. Here he gets acquainted with the works High Renaissance. The artist repeatedly painted portraits of the earl and members of his family, the best of which is Portrait of the Earl of Arundel with his grandson Lord Montervers (c. 1635, Arendel Castle, Collection of the Duke of Norfolk).
Van Dyck, after spending about a year in England, makes a trip to Italy, a number of cities where he visits in the retinue of Lady Arendel. On the way to Italy, he stops by Antwetpen, where he paints several paintings, the most famous of which is the portrait of Rubens' wife Portrait of Isabella Brandt (c. 1621, Washington, National Gallery of Art).
In Italy, where Van Dyck spent from 1621 to 1627, he studied the works Italian painting. Admiring the work of Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese (1528-1588), he makes sketches from nature, sketches of paintings famous artists, which made up the Italian Album (London, British museum) Van Dyck. Having settled in Genoa, he lived for a long time in Rome, Mantua, Venice, Turin, Florence, continuing to paint portraits. Among them is the emphatically ceremonial Portrait of Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio (1623, Florence, Pitti Gallery), which combines external representativeness with the disclosure of a rich inner life.
In 1624, Van Dyck received an invitation from the Viceroy of Sicily to visit Palermo, where he painted a generational Portrait of Viceroy Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy (1624), as well as a large altarpiece for the Oratorio del Rosario church in Palermo, Madonna of the Rosary (1624-1627) - the largest commission received by Van Dyck from the church during the Italian period.
Returning to Genoa, Van Dyck, already a well-known, fashionable portrait painter, paints brilliant portraits-paintings. He creates complex compositions ceremonial portrait, which depicts a somewhat romanticized, majestic world of the aristocracy. He depicts those portrayed in full height against the background of luxurious palaces, open terraces, majestic landscapes, gives them proud poses and spectacular gestures. The splendor of their costumes with brilliantly written fabrics, with flowing folds, enhance the significance of the images. Portrait of the Marquise Elena Grimaldi Cattaneo with a Negro servant (1623, Washington, National Gallery of Art), Portrait of the Marchesa Balbi (c. 1623, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art), Portrait of Paola Adorno with her son (c. 1623, Washington, National Gallery of Art) , group portrait Portrait of the Lomellini family (1624–1626, Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland). At this time, he turns to the image of elderly people, marked by the seal of their lives: Portrait of a senator and Portrait of a senator's wife (1622-1627, Berlin, State museums), as well as to the image of children, creating for the first time in the history of art the first formal children's group portrait: Portrait of the children of the de Franchi family (1627, London, National Gallery).
In 1627 Van Dyck returned to Antwerp, where he stayed until 1632, and took over the inheritance after his father's death. His popularity is enormous: he fulfills orders for large altar paintings for the churches of Antwerp, Ghent, Courtrai, Melechen, portraits, paintings on mythological themes. For the Jesuit Church, Van Dyck paints a large altarpiece of the Vision of St. Augustine (1628, Antwerp, Church of St. Augustine), for the chapel of the Brotherhood of Bachelors in the Antwerp Jesuit Church - the Mother of God and the baby Jesus with St. Rosalia, Peter and Paul (1629, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), for the Dominican Church in Antwerp - Crucifixion with St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena (1629, Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts). He creates many smaller canvases on religious themes: The Vision of the Mother of God to Blessed Herman Joseph (1630, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), Our Lady with Partridges (early 1630s, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), written for the Queen of England.
Among the portraits of Van Dyck of this period, images of representatives of the ruling circles, noble families, clergy, dignitaries, and artists prevailed. He lovingly paints the details of costumes, jewelry, and at the same time his painting is very free: dynamic strokes, wide writing. He brilliantly conveys inner world portrayed, they are full of life, natural: Portrait of Jan van der Wauwer (1632, Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), Portrait of Martin Reikart (1630, Madrid, Prado), Portrait of Marie Louise de Tassis (1628, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Collection).
From 1626 to 1633 he creates a gallery of graphic portraits of prominent contemporaries, called Iconography. For the etching series, he performed from life preparatory drawings, some of the etchings were made by Van Dyck himself, some with the help of engravers. Portraits were divided into three groups: monarchs and generals (16 portraits), statesmen and philosophers (12 portraits), artists and collectors (52 portraits). Van Dyck made some drawings from nature, others from portraits painted by himself or other artists. The iconography was published in 1632 in Antwerp. On title page placed a self-portrait of Van Dyck. After his death, Martin van Emden, the engraver who printed these etchings, sold the original 80 boards. To these were added 15 more boards engraved by Van Dyck himself, as well as engravings by other artists, so that total number was brought to 100. This edition appeared in 1645 and became known as the "Centum Icones" ("One Hundred Images"). Iconography is not only important historical document, but also has a highly artistic value.
In 1632, at the invitation of King Charles I (1625-1649), whom Rubens called "the greatest lover of painting of all the sovereigns of the world," Van Dyck went to England. There he receives the position of "chief painter in the service of their majesty", a title of nobility and a gold chain.
In 1634, Van Dyck visited Antwerp and then Brussels, where he painted portraits of the nobility: Portrait of Cardinal Infante Ferdinand (1634, Madrid, Prado), Equestrian portrait of Thomas, Prince of Savoy-Carignan (1634, Turin, Sabauda Gallery). He received a major commission to complete a life-size group portrait of city echevens (municipal councilors) for the hall of the town hall. From the painting that died in 1695, only preparatory oil sketches have survived.
October 18, 1634 the guild of St. Luke of Antwerp recognized Van Dyck as the best among Flemish artists, awarding him the highest award: he was elected honorary dean, his name was entered capital letters to the list of guild members.
Soon Van Dyck returned to England, where he spent the next 15 years.
He painted pictures on mythological themes: Rinaldo and Armida (1628, Baltimore, Art Gallery), Cupid and Psyche (1638, London, Hepton Court).
In England, the dominant genre in painting was the portrait, and Van Dyck's work in this genre in England was a significant event. The main customers were the king, members of his family, court nobility. Van Dyck's masterpieces include the Equestrian Portrait of Charles I with the Seigneur de Saint Antoune (1633, Buckingham Palace, Royal Collections). The ceremonial Portrait of Charles I on the hunt (c. 1635, Paris, Louvre) stands out, showing the king in a hunting suit, in an elegant pose against the backdrop of the landscape. Known for the so-called. triple portrait king (1635, Windsor Castle, Royal Meetings), which shows the king in three angles, because. was intended to be sent to Italy, to the studio of Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), who was commissioned to create a bust of Charles I. Maria also wished to have her own sculptural image. In total, Van Dyck painted the queen more than 20 times, but for this idea he created three separate portraits of her, among which the most significant Portrait of Henrietta Maria with a dwarf by Sir Geoffrey Hudson (1633, Washington, National Gallery of Art). But, apparently, they were never sent, and this idea was not put into practice. Van Dyck in 1635 receives an order to paint a painting depicting the children of the king Three children of Charles I (1635, Turin, Sabauda Gallery), which was later sent to Turin, and is considered a masterpiece child portrait. In the same year, he repeats the picture, and two years later he creates the painting The Five Children of Charles I (1637, Windsor Castle, Royal Collections).
During this period, Van Dyck painted spectacular portraits of courtiers, created portrait gallery young English aristocrats: Prince Carl Stewart (1638, Windsor, Royal Meetings), Princess Henrietta Maria and William of Orange (1641, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum), Portrait of Royal Children (1637, Windsor Castle, Royal Meetings), Portrait of Philip Wharton (1632, St. Petersburg, Hermitage), Portrait of Lords John and Bernard Stuart (c. 1638, Hampshire, Mountbatten Collection).
By the end of the 30s, he created excellent male portraits, magnificent in solution and psychological characteristics, strict and truthful: Portrait of Sir Arthur Goodwin (1639, Derbyshire, Collection of the Duke of Devonshire), Portrait of Sir Thomas Chaloner (c. 1640, St. Petersburg, Hermitage).
In 1639 he marries Mary Ruthven, lady-in-waiting to the queen, in 1641 their daughter Justiniana was born. In 1641, Anthony van Dyck's health deteriorated, and after a long illness, on December 9, 1641, he died at the age of 42. He was buried at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Van Dyck painted about 900 paintings, a huge number for a man whose creative activity lasted for about 20 years. He left a grandiose legacy, not only because he worked quickly and easily, but also because he used numerous assistants, artists from Flanders and England, who painted background plans, draperies, used mannequins to write clothes.
The work of Van Dyck had a huge impact on the development of English and European portrait painting. He was the founder of the English school of portraiture, whose traditions will be preserved in art for centuries. Van Dyck in portraits showed people of different classes, different social level, different in mental and intellectual warehouse. An adherent of the traditions of Flemish realism, he was the creator of the official ceremonial portrait, including an aristocratic portrait, in which he showed a noble, refined, refined person, and was also the creator of an intellectual portrait.
The famous Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck belonged to the famous art school Antwerp 17th century. During his not very long life (1599-1641), he painted a huge number of works - his legacy is about 900 canvases. Van Dyck's works were performed in different genres on different topics. His paintings are scenes from the Old and New Testaments, mythology and portraits. But in the history of art he is noted as a wonderful portrait painter. It is Anthony van Dyck who is considered the founder of the European portrait genre. He is also the founder of the English school of portraiture, which invariably preserved his traditions for several centuries. Using the realism characteristic of the Flemish school of painting, he creates an official ceremonial portrait, in which the foreground is not so much ceremonial clothes and all the decorative, pretentious surroundings, but the nobility, refinement, refinement and intelligence of a person, regardless of his social status.
Brief biography of Anthony van Dyck
Anthony Van Dyck was born on March 22, 1599 in the Flemish city of Antwerp in the family of a wealthy cloth merchant. At the age of ten, he began studying with X. Van Valen, and by the age of sixteen he already had his own workshop. This is not surprising - in the 17th century, people grew up very quickly, because a person was given a much shorter century than in modern times, and people sought to have time to leave their mark on the earth. Van Dyck, it turned out, is quite capable. His outstanding abilities were noted by the great Rubens, with whom the young artist had the opportunity to work in the same studio. Rubens can rightfully be considered a teacher and mentor of Van Dyck. But to my credit and capable student, and a great teacher, Van Dyck's work was not a copy of his master's manner. He is like any talented person, seeks to develop its own own style and he succeeds quite well. The young artist does not sit still, especially since the fame of his abilities has already crossed the borders of Flanders. He goes to England, where he works at the court of King James I. Van Dyck bows to the Italian painting school and goes to Italy. For more than 10 years he has been living and working in Italy, mainly in Genoa. In 1632 English king offers Van Dyck the position of court painter, and he goes to London, where he will live until his death on December 9, 1641.
The work of Anthony van Dyck
The work of Antonios van Dyck coincided with the peak of his heyday in Western Europe Flemish school of painting. Young but clearly talented artist even at the time of his apprenticeship with Rubens, he fearlessly, with youthful maximalism, undertook the execution of any artistic task. Although it soon became clear to both himself and his mentor that Van Dyck's temperament was best suited for portraits. This also manifested itself in the first independent work- "John the Baptist and John the Evangelist", written in 1618. The human faces depicted by the artist on canvases convey the miracle of life's unrest, passions, feelings. The painter seeks to reveal and convey the emotional world of a person, the fluctuations of his soul, which is inherent in all possible feelings from low to high. He tries to penetrate the outer shell of his character, to make his image alive and inspired. An example of such penetration into the inner, spiritually rich world of their contemporaries, we see in the portrait of the painter Snyders, written in 1620.
One of Van Dyck's masterpieces is the "Family Portrait", which can be seen in the Hermitage. When you look at this portrait, you get the feeling that you have known these people for a long time. Softly, calmly looking at you from the portrait of a pretty woman with a child in her arms. Her husband is nearby with a tense, literally piercing look, and it is immediately clear that this is a strong and outstanding personality with a strong-willed and somewhat nervous character.
Van Dyck is the first artist who created a ceremonial group portrait of children in the painting "Portrait of the children of the de Franchi family", written in 1627 in Italy. Not only the contemporaries of the artist himself, but also contemporary critics put portrait art Anthony van Dyck in line with best portraits Raphael and Titian.
