| Galleries » British Paintings 1500-1850 » Sir Anthony Van Dyck |
| The Flemish painter Anthony
Van Dyck (1599-1641) left a valuable historical record of the colourful age in which he
lived. He is known chiefly for his portraits of Europe's kings and queens and other
dignitaries, particularly those of the English court in the time of Charles I. Van Dyck was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 22, 1599. He was apprenticed to a local painter when he was 10, and at 16 Van Dyck had pupils of his own. At 20 he was living in the house of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and was completely under his influence. He painted not only in the same style as Rubens but also often the same subjects, possibly as a collaborator. Then followed extended periods of work in both Italy (where he was influenced by the works of Titian) and Antwerp developing his own style and building his reputation painting both portraits and religious subjects. In 1632 he was invited to the English court, where the king knighted him, gave him a house in London and a pension. Charles I and his queen were the painter's first sitters. Soon the lords and ladies of the court were demanding portraits. So popular did the artist become that he set up a large studio like Rubens'. Assistants blocked in the paintings on the required scale from Van Dyck's small sketches. Then, in a few hours, Van Dyck completed the works. The artist gave subjects an aristocratic bearing, refined features, and long tapering fingers. The same characteristics appear in his many self-portraits. His style influenced Flemish and English artists for more than a century after his death, particularly Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. |
