Paintings — Old Masters Part I
Jan Bruegel the Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who contributed respectively to the development of Renaissance and Baroque painting in the Habsburg Netherlands. Taking over his father's workshop at an early age, he painted the same subjects as his father in a style which was similar to that of his father. He regularly collaborated with leading Flemish painters of his time.
Hendrik van Balen the Elder was a Flemish Baroque painter and stained glass artist, member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp.
Hendrik van Balen specialized in small cabinet paintings, often painted on copperplate. The artist's work was inspired by mythological and allegorical as well as religious subjects. The artist played an important role in the renewal of Flemish painting at the beginning of the 17th century and was one of Antoni van Dyck's teachers.
Lucas van Valckenborch was a Flemish painter, mainly known for his landscapes. He also made contributions to portrait painting, and allegorical and market scenes. Court painter to Archduke Matthias, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands in Brussels, he later migrated to Austria and then Germany where he joined members of his extended family of artists who had moved there for religious reasons.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger was a Flemish artist celebrated for his detailed landscapes, religious themes, proverbs, and vibrant village scenes. Despite being the son of the illustrious Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Brueghel the Younger carved out his own niche in the art world, earning the moniker 'Hell Brueghel' for his dynamic scenes of fires and energetic copies of his father's peasant life portrayals.
Brueghel the Younger's original creations, such as "The Village Lawyer," showcase his keen observation of village life, merging the energy and boldness of 17th-century style with his father's idiom. His work is characterized by its lively, picturesque depiction of peasants, albeit some critics argue they lack the subtlety and humanism of his father's creations. Despite this, Brueghel the Younger's legacy includes a significant number of original works and copies that were rediscovered in the 20th century, highlighting his contribution to the Flemish painting tradition.
His workshop was known for its prolific output, especially in producing copies of Bruegel the Elder's compositions, a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of the Bruegel family's artistic legacy. However, Brueghel the Younger also impressed with his unique compositions, contributing to the genre of still life and village scenes with a distinct style that resonated well into modern times.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Pieter Brueghel the Younger's works represent an important period in Flemish art, offering insights into the evolution of genre painting and the detailed portrayal of rural life. His paintings, held in esteemed collections worldwide, continue to be studied and admired for their vibrancy, narrative quality, and historical value.
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Jacob Grimmer was a Flemish painter who was active during the Late Renaissance. He specialised in landscapes and genre scenes, often depicting the everyday life of peasants.
His style was strongly influenced by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.
Grimmer's paintings are characterized by detailed, realistic depictions of nature. His landscapes are characterized by wide expanses and intricate detail.
Jacob Grimmer was known for his ability to capture the nuances of human behaviour, so his genre works depict the lives of peasants with a touch of humour and whimsy.
Canaletto, born Giovanni Antonio Canal, was an illustrious Italian painter celebrated for his masterful cityscapes, particularly of Venice and London. Emerging as a topographical painter after 1719, Canaletto became renowned for his detailed and atmospheric views, known as vedute, which captured the essence of Venice and London with a unique blend of accuracy and artistic embellishment. Despite using a camera obscura to achieve precision in his architectural details, Canaletto often infused his paintings with creative adjustments to enhance their appeal.
His early works, such as "The Stonemason's Yard," are particularly prized for their vivid portrayal of Venice's daily life and architectural beauty. Canaletto's paintings were highly sought after by English aristocrats during their Grand Tours, leading him to spend a significant period in England, where he continued to produce esteemed works capturing the English landscape and urban scenes.
Despite his international success, Canaletto's work was less appreciated in his native Venice during his lifetime, only gaining broader recognition and appreciation in later years. His legacy, however, has had a lasting impact on landscape painting, influencing future generations of artists.
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Willem Claeszoon Heda was a Dutch Golden Age artist from the city of Haarlem devoted exclusively to the painting of still life. He is known for his innovation of the late breakfast genre of still life painting.
Mattia Preti was an Italian Baroque artist renowned for his dynamic and dramatic style, heavily influenced by Caravaggio. Born in Taverna, Calabria, in 1613, Preti's work spanned Italy and Malta, where he became a Knight of the Order of St. John and significantly contributed to the artistic landscape with his religious and mythological scenes. His career took him from Rome, where he was influenced by major painters of the early 17th century like Domenichino and Pietro da Cortona, to Naples and finally Malta, where he left an indelible mark on the St. John's Co-Cathedral through a series of paintings on the life and martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.
Preti's work is characterized by a rich Caravaggesque influence, noted for its vivid naturalism and dramatic use of light and shadow. However, his later works also display a blend of influences, including Neovenetian atmospheres and a reflection on Bolognese classicism, showcasing his versatility in adapting and synthesizing various stylistic elements of his time. Preti's paintings are celebrated for their emotional intensity and the ability to convey complex biblical and historical narratives with a profound sense of humanity and divine inspiration.
His paintings are held in prestigious museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Malta, featuring masterpieces such as "The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist" and "The Death of Sophonisba". Preti's commitment to Caravaggesque vocabulary, even as he explored the influences of Veronese and possibly Rembrandt, showcases his unique position in the Baroque era, bridging the gap between Caravaggio's intense realism and the emerging Baroque idealism.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, the legacy of Mattia Preti offers a fascinating study in the evolution of Baroque painting, reflecting the complex interplay of light, shadow, and color that defines the period. His works continue to inspire and captivate audiences, bearing testament to his skill and creative vision.
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Francesco Solimena was an Italian painter of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He is known as a representative of the Neapolitan school of late Baroque painting. The painter's creativity was highly appreciated by his contemporaries, during his long career he earned a large fortune by selling his works. The artist's biography is closely linked to Naples, the city in which the great genius spent most of his life.
Francesco Solimena was devoted to the religious genre, for which he was often called "Abbot Ciccio" during his lifetime. He educated many famous artists. Solimena's paintings are now in museums in St. Petersburg (Hermitage), London (National Gallery), New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Paris (Louvre) and other cities.
Jan Josephsz. van Goyen was a Dutch landscape painter and draftsman of the Golden Age, a member of the Guild of St. Luke of Leiden, and a representative of the so-called tonal landscape. Van Goyen specialized in landscape painting and left many paintings depicting forest paths, rivers, lakes, and canals. He also painted peasant huts and the outskirts of towns.
Jan van Goin was one of the most prolific painters of the 17th century: some 1,200 paintings he created and some 800 drawings have survived.
Jan Davidsz. de Heem was a still life painter who was active in Utrecht and Antwerp. He is a major representative of that genre in both Dutch and Flemish Baroque painting.
Francesco Lazzaro Guardi was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School. He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of painting.
In the early part of his career he collaborated with his older brother Gian Antonio in the production of religious paintings. After Gian Antonio's death in 1760, Francesco concentrated on vedute. The earliest of these show the influence of Canaletto, but he gradually adopted a looser style characterized by spirited brush-strokes and freely imagined architecture.
