Anton van Dyck 1

 

Anton Van Dyck 1

The portrait master

Source CM Online Art Gallery

Anton Van Dyck was born in Antwerp in 1599 and died in London in 1641. Van Dyck was the son of a wealthy cloth and silk merchant and during his childhood, he already pointed out ways in painting. Reason for which his parents enrol him as an apprentice in the workshop of the painter Hendrick van Balen, one of the most important painters in the city of Antwerp at that time.

 

But Van Dyck would soon leave Hendrick van Balen's workshop to join the circle of Pedro Pablo Rubens for which he would work as a main assistant.

  It should be mentioned that Anton Van Dyck was the most important Flemish painter of the time after Rubens. The two mainly dealt with religious subjects, but Anton Van Dyck stood out above all else in portraits.

 

Anton Van Dyck self-portrait, 1613.

In 1620, Anton Van Dyck moved to London to work at the court of King James I. During the short time that Van Dyck worked at the monarch's court, he made various portraits of both the king and members of his court.

 

In 1621, he returned to Antwerp, but at the end of the same year Van Dyck moved to Italy where he stayed until 1627. During his stay in Italy he was in the main cultural cities such as Naples, Venice, Sicily, Genoa and Palermo.

  The most important religious work that he carried out in Italy was an altar painting for the Oratorio del Rosario in the church of Santo Domingo.

To this work, we must add that he was the main portraitist of the aristocracy in Genoa.

 

Picture of the altar of the Oratory of the Rosary of the church of Santo Domingo. Anton Van Dick Dyck, 1624.

In the year 1627, he returned to Antwerp. He was already a renowned painter and the Archduchess Elizabeth named him her official painter. As painter of the archduchess, he made different portraits that have remained for the future due to their quality. Among these portraits, we find the one he made of Philippe le Roy, Marie de Raet, Painter Martin Ryckaert and Nicholas Lamier.

 

Portrait Philippe le Roy. Anton Van Dyck, 1631.

In 1632, Van Dyck moved to London where King Charles I named him court painter and gave him numerous privileges. Of his stage in London, the numerous portraits that he made of the members of the court and the portrait that he made of King Carlos I, his French wife Enriqueta María and his children stand out.

 

Portrait Charles I of England. Anton Van Dyck, 1635.

In 1641, Anton Van Dick died at the age of 42 in London due to illness.

 

Finally, highlight the influence of the counter-reformation and the perfect use of chiaroscuro in the works of Anton Van Dyck.

With affection,

Ruben