Sir Anthony Van Dyck
1599-1641
Influences -Rubens, Sofonisba
Anguisciola,
Paolo Veronese
Education - at age 11 apprenticed to Hendrick van Balen, two years studio assistant to Rubens
Medium - oil on canvas, etching
Burial Place - St. Paul Cathedral
One of the Greatest Painters Of All Time
The founder of the English school of Painting
Van Dyck was a brilliant painter. His style differs radically from that of his old teacher, Rubens, although it is similar in technique. He developed his own strong style of Baroque intensity which incorporated the fiery sense of drama he learned from the his old master.
Was Rubens jealousy of his star pupil?
According to art
historian S. SPOONER, M.
D., "This eminent
Flemish painter was born
at Antwerp in 1599. His
father early gave him
instruction in drawing;
he was also instructed
by his mother, who
painted landscapes, and
was very skillful in
embroidery. He studied
afterwards under Henry
van Balen, and made
rapid progress in the
art; but attracted by
the fame of Rubens, he
entered the school of
that master, and showed
so much ability as to be
soon entrusted with the
execution of some of his
instructor's designs.
Some writers, among whom
D'Argenville was the
first, assert that
Rubens became jealous of
Vandyck's growing
excellence, and
therefore advised him to
devote himself to
portrait painting;
assigning the following
anecdote as the cause of
his jealousy. During the
short absences of Rubens
from his house, for the
purpose of recreation,
his disciples frequently
obtained access to his
studio, by means of
bribing an old servant
who kept the keys; and
on one of these
occasions, while they
were all eagerly
pressing forward to view
the great picture of the
Descent from the Cross
(although later
investigations
concerning dates seem to
indicate that it was
some other picture),
Diepenbeck accidentally
fell against the canvas,
effacing the face of the
Virgin, and the
Magdalen's arm, which
had just been finished,
and were not yet dry.
Fearful of expulsion
from the school, the
terrified pupils chose
Vandyck to restore the
work, and he completed
it the same day with
such success that Rubens
did not at first
perceive the change, and
afterwards concluded not
to alter it. Walpole
entertains a different
and more rationalview
respecting Rubens'
supposed jealousy: he
thinks that Vandyck felt
the hopelessness of
surpassing his master in
historical painting, and
therefore resolved to
devote himself to
portrait. One authority
states that the above
mentioned incident only
increased Rubens' esteem
for his pupil, in
perfect accordance with
the distinguished
character for generosity
and liberality, which
that great master so
often evinced, and which
forms very strong
presumptive evidence
against so base an
accusation. "
The artist
enjoyed great financial
success, employed as a
court painter to Charles
I of England. He
enjoyed courtly life and
excelled at portraiture
as well as shining in
mythological and
biblical themes.
According to art
historian, S. Spooner
"His high living had
brought on the gout
during his latter years,
and luxury had
considerably reduced his
fortune, which he
endeavored to repair by
the study of alchemy. He
left property amounting
to about £20,000. In his
private character, Vandyck was universally
esteemed for the
urbanity of his manners,
and his generous
patronage to all who
excelled in any science
or art, many of whose
portraits he painted
gratuitously."
Throughout his lifetime he was in great demand not only because of his brilliant technical abilities but his sharp intellect. Van Dyck also produced a beautiful series of etched portraits known as the Iconography.
| Byzantine 500-1450 | Romanesque 950-1250 | ||||||||||
| Gothic 1150-1580 | Florentine | ||||||||||
| Sienese School 1150-1550 | Venetian | ||||||||||
| Early Renaissance 1350-1500 | |||||||||||
| High Renaissance 1450-1530 | |||||||||||
| Northern Renaissance 1350-1600 | |||||||||||
| Mannerism 1510-1600 | |||||||||||
| Baroque 1600-1750 | |||||||||||
| Rococo 1710-1790 | |||||||||||
| Neoclassical 1740-1835 | |||||||||||
| Romanticism 1750-1860 | |||||||||||
| Hudson River School 1825-1880 | |||||||||||
| Orientalism 1800-1885 | |||||||||||
| Academic Classicism 1865-1920 | |||||||||||
| Victorian Classicism 1845-1895 | |||||||||||
| Pre-Raphaelite 1840-1855 | |||||||||||
Impressionism
1860-1895
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