The most famous paintings of Van Dyck: the title, description

Famous portraitist Van Dyck, whose paintings are known to many people, studied with the famous Rubens. His works had themes of myths and religion. They are like the works of a teacher, but still carry their own individuality. Rubens was distinguished by his temperament, excessive emotionality, which was reflected in his works, but the paintings of Van Dyck retained the restraint and calmness of his author.

Biography

Antwerp was the birthplace of the future genius-artist. His father was a rich businessman and brought up in the son of a family aristocracy. Perhaps that's why many of the works of Antonis van Dyck are permeated with fragility and sophistication.

The artist traveled a little and spent most of his life in Antwerp. On his native land, he painted portraits of his friends and acquaintances. And the man tried to transfer and create works with maximum realism. Although it is also noticeable that some models acquired aristocratism inherent in the artist. The local nobility loved Dake, and the young man received many orders. The paintings of Antonis van Dyke became more popular every day.

In 1632, Antonis had to leave his hometown, as the famous Rubens returned home. The artist did not want to compete with his teacher, so moved to England. Here he was waiting for real glory: Dyke became the chief painter of King Charles I.

In England, the artist managed to found his own school of portrait art. Then he continued to paint portraits of famous people. In 1639, the painter found his love, Mary Rathven, and married her.

The last years of his life, Antonis engaged in large projects and was completely engulfed in inspiration. He worked on the trellis cycle for the palace in London, he worked with the galleries of the Louvre. But, unfortunately, Van Dyck's wishes were not destined to come true: the artist fell ill and died in 1641. In the will, he asked for his burial in the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The paintings of Van Dyck have a common feature that distinguishes them from a whole series of works by Flemish artists. But, as mentioned earlier, portraits have become the most popular.

"Saint Bruno"

The painting "Saint Bruno" was written in 1620. To this day, there is no exact information about the fact that this is Antonis's painting. Nevertheless, there is an assumption that this is his work, which is attributed to the early period of creativity. The painting was painted at a time when a young painter was helping Rubens to work on painting the church.

The description of Van Dyck's picture is not difficult to give. His works are not intricate, and everything is clear on them. On the canvas, painted in oil, is Saint Bruno. The image is presented in three quarters and is placed on the background of a window with a bright cloth. You can see the landscape in the window. The power of Saint Bruno is shown by the bright light that falls from above. This illumination symbolizes Christ. The attention of the spectator is focused on the face and hands of Saint Bruno. No more details that would distract from the main idea, no.

"Self-portrait"

This is a work depicting Van Dyck. Paintings of this kind always become popular. Antonis created it after he returned from Italy. The painting now enters the Hermitage collection and is the pearl of the collection.

Many still believe that this is the best creation of the Flemish painter. Contemporaries called Dake "darling of fate", and this is depicted on the "Self-portrait." Antonis looks in the picture as a secular gentleman, his features are thin, and his hands are sleek. The paintings of Van Dyck have always been very elegant, and this work is not without sophistication. Creation was written in 1622-1623 gg. Oil.

"Portrait of James Stewart"

Paintings of Van Dyck with the names are described by us. They are known all over the world. "Portrait of James Stewart" was written in 1634-1635. On the next portrait, the author portrayed the famous duke. The young man was the king's cousin, and his appearance clearly shows his belonging to the royal family. The camisole is decorated with a silver star, which represents the Chevalier of the Order of the Garter. His figure is proud, and the artist portrayed Stewart so that he looks down.

Antonis skillfully emphasized the long figure of James with a mass of elements. Here and narrowed frame, and a tall dog, which was the duke's favorite. Despite attempts to be strict and arrogant, Stewart attracts everyone with his charm and kindness.

"Charles I on the Hunt"

The artist created the picture for three years, since 1635. On the canvas is depicted Charles I, who rests on a cane and stands on the edge of the abyss. The king's figure is the main figure in the picture. It is clearly visible against the background of a light sky, and the hat is a contrast accent, emphasizing the expressiveness of the image.

"Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter"

The painting, written in 1635, is a kind of juxtaposition of the artist and Endymion Porter. The latter resembled a man from a bourgeois family, but achieved respect and honor among high titles. Van Dyck did a great job on his image, portraying himself in a favorable light, but the figure of Porter looks too simple.

A lot can be said about the position of the hands of the heroes. Their friendship is indicated by the fact that they both hold a hand on the stone. But the fact that the painter has put on a glove, perhaps, speaks about the character of friendship of people. After all, if you look closely, the second hand of Anthony is naked.

"Portrait of Margarita Lorraine"

This is another portrait written by Van Dyck in 1634. It painstakingly depicts Margarita. Antonis created a subtle figure of the girl, emphasizing the beauty of her neck and arms. Canvas does not find bright and aggressive colors, but restraint gives youth and attractiveness.

"Lady Elizabeth Timbely and Dorothy"

On the canvas, there were two Catholic sisters, Elizabeth and Dorothy. The portrait was created on the eve of the wedding of one of them. The picture conveys the historical nature of the events. Antonis portrayed to the left Elizabeth a restrained, which indicated her marriage. But Dorothy holds a basket of flowers in her hands, which characterizes the approaching wedding and the sincere love of a young woman.

"Equestrian portrait of Charles I"

This picture was written in 1637-1638, and she portrayed Charles I as belligerent and courageous. The warrior king sits on a horse, with knight armor on it, and a command staff in his hand. His garment comes from the 16th century Greenwich.

Charles I in 1625 became king of Great Britain and Ireland. When Van Dyke became the main painter of the king, masterpieces began to appear from under his brush. For those works that were found, it is known that Antonis created 35 portraits of Charles I, seven of them are mounted horses.

"Portrait of a Knight with a Red Bandage"

This masterpiece is considered the best of the works of Antonis van Dyck. The artist was able to create the perfect composition. The figure looks as if in motion, from it emanates strength, energy and courage. Most likely, the success of this portrait is associated with a period of inspiration in the work of Van Dyck. After the painter had problems with money, so the volume of work increased, and the inspiration left the artist.

The main difference between the Dutch and Flemish art to this day is that the first was the creation of still lifes, and in the second - portraits. The artist Van Dyck, whose paintings are still adorned with famous galleries and museums, became the most outstanding representative of Flemish painting, bringing to the world a ceremonial portrait.