Anthony van Dyck
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Sir Anthony (Anton) van Dyck (22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of royalty, painted with a preternatural virtuosity which set the standard for elegance in the genre. He excelled also in the painting of biblical and mythological subjects, displayed outstanding facility as a draftsman, and was a master of etching.
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[edit] Life and work
[edit] Education
Van Dyck was born in Antwerp, first studied with Hendrick van Balen, and became an independent painter around 1615, setting up a workshop with his friend Jan Brueghel the Younger.[1] By the age of fifteen he was already a highly accomplished artist, as his Self-portrait, 1613-14, attests. Within a few years he was to be the chief assistant of Peter Paul Rubens, whose influence on the young artist was immense; Rubens referred to the nineteen-year-old van Dyck as 'the best of my pupils'.[2]
[edit] Italy
In 1620, van Dyck came to England for the first time but did not succeed in getting presented to King James I. However, it was in London that he first saw the work of Titian, whose use of color and subtle modelling of form would prove transformational, offering a new stylistic language that would enrich the compositional lessons learned from Rubens.[3] After four months he returned to Flanders, but in late 1621 he arrived in Italy, where he remained for 6 years, studying the Italian masters and laying the foundations for his career as a successful portraitist. In 1627, he went back to Antwerp where for some years he painted a host of masterpieces. He was charming to his patrons, which added to his ability to obtain commissions.
[edit] London
His reputation reached the ears of Charles I of England, who recalled him. In 1632, van Dyck returned to London. His success in England was rapid. He painted portraits of King Charles, Queen Henrietta, the king's children, the Earl of Strafford and countless other personages at court, in addition to images of himself and his mistress, Margaret Lemon.
In July 1632, he was knighted, and in 1633 elected painter to the king. He received a considerable pension and married the daughter of Lord Ruthven. In 1634, he took a short journey to Antwerp, and in 1641, another one to France.
In the later part of his life he only gave finishing touches to the portraits which were for the most part painted by his pupils after his own designs.
Anthony van Dyck died in 1641 in London, and was buried in Old St. Paul's Cathedral. There the king erected a monument in his memory:
Anthony returned to England, and shortly afterwards he died in London, piously rendering his spirit to God as a good Catholic, in the year 1641. He was buried in St. Paul's, to the sadness of the king and court and the universal grief of lovers of painting. For all the riches he had acquired, Anthony van Dyck left little property, having spent everything on living magnificently, more like a prince than a painter.[4]
[edit] Influence
Van Dyck had a great influence on English portrait painting. Therefore, some scholars call him the founder of the English school of painting.
Van Dyck was also known for painting portraits of people having short, pointed beards; consequently this particular kind of beard was named a vandyke (which is the anglicized version of his name). During the reign of George III, a generic "Cavalier" fancy-dress costume called a Van Dyke was popular; Gainsborough's 'Blue Boy' is wearing such a Van Dyke outfit. The oil paint pigment van Dyck brown is named after him [1].
[edit] References
- ^ Brown, Christopher: Van Dyck 1599-1641, page 15. Royal Academy Publications, 1999.
- ^ Brown, Christopher, page 17, 1999.
- ^ Brown, Christopher, page 19, 1999.
- ^ Brown, Christopher, page 33, 1999. In 1666 the Great Fire of London destoyed Old St. Paul's Cathedral, and with it van Dyck's tomb.
[edit] Gallery
 "Self Portrait", ca. 1621 Alte Pinakothek |
 Charles I of England, ca. 1635 |
 George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, ca. 1638–9 |
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[edit] See also
