Anthony van Dyck and Dorothy, Lady Dacre

Anthony van Dyck, born on 22 March 1599 and died on 9 December 1641

Joachim Patinir and Landscape with Charon Crossing the River Styx

'Landscape with Charon Crossing the River Styx' (c. 1515-1524) by Joachim Patinir;
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Like the paintings by Bosch and Bruegel, I find those by Flemish painter Joachim Patinir, born c. 1480 and died on 5 October 1524, impressive and fascinating. I read that the art by Patinir forms a link between Bosch and Bruegel, his style being a combination of naturalistic detail and a sense of fantasy. There's not much known of Patinir's early life or artistic training but we do know he became a member of the Antwerp Guild of painters in 1515. Albrecht Dürer, who became his friend, called him a good landscape painter and mentioned him frequently in his notes on his travels. Patinir also painted landscape backgrounds for other painters, and the figures that appear in his own paintings were often painted by other artists. He was the first Flemish painter who regarded himself primarily a landscape painter although many of his paintings cannot be regarded as pure landscapes. He depicted mythological and religious scenes and the figures are completely integrated in the landscape. When you see his paintings, you notice a blue and green palette which I find beautiful. I have seen his art work at the Prado in Madrid and was very much impressed by it. Today's painting is a depiction of Charon, the ferryman who crosses the river Styx and leads the dead to Hades, the god of the underworld. A departing soul faces the dilemma of choosing between Paradise and Hell. To read more about the painting, you can read its Wikipedia page.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder and The Tower of Babel

'The Tower of Babel' (c. 1563) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder;
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

I've seen today's painting The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, born c. 1525 and died on 9 September 1569, at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam and it is very small. Although it is impressive (because of all the small details), I was a bit disappointed (because of its size) and didn't know at the time that Bruegel had painted two other versions of 'The Tower of Babel'. The bigger version is to be seen at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (click here). The first version Bruegel painted, a miniature on ivory, is now lost. This famous painting is a depiction of the well-known biblical story of man's hubris and God punishing man for wanting to build a tower that reached to the heavens. Bruegel got the inspiration for the architecture of his Tower of Babel from the Colosseum in Rome. If you want to know more about the artist's life, please click on the painter's name above.

Hans Memling and The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine

'The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine' (1474-79) by Hans Memling;
Memlingmuseum, Bruges

I never thought much of German painter Hans Memling, born c. 1430 and died on 11 August 1494. But having been in Rome last week and being surrounded by Renaissance art, it makes me look at Memling's work with a fresh pair of eyes. I have seen Compassion for the Dead Christ, With a Donor in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj but although it is quite beautiful, I don't really like the depiction of the Dead Christ. Memling, whose work shows the style and composition of his teacher Rogier van der Weyden, was very popular between the 1460s and 1480s. He was artist number one in Bruges and the most popular Flemish artist abroad. He got commissioned for altarpieces all over Europe. With Florentine and Venetian art reaching its peak, Memling's work received high praises in Italy because of its calm harmony. For today I have chosen 'The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine', a subject that's been used frequently in Christian art. If you want to read more about it, click here. This painting, which is oil on wood, is the central panel of the St. John altarpiece and brings together many of the characteristics of Memling's art. I don't know much about the meaning and story of the painting, I should read up on that, but I do like the colours and this reminds me indeed a lot of Rogier van de Weyden.

Jan van Eyck and Lucca Madonna

Due to my stay and volunteer work in Peru for most of June and July, I won't have time to write but I will continue to post a painting a day. I may add text upon returning to Amsterdam. I hope you will still visit to see the daily painting. 

Peter Paul Rubens and Old Woman And A Boy With Candles

Due to my stay and volunteer work in Peru for most of June and July, I won't have time to write but I will continue to post a painting a day. I may add text upon returning to Amsterdam. I hope you will still visit to see the daily painting.  

Rogier van der Weyden and The Magdalene Reading

Due to my stay and volunteer work in Peru for most of June and July, I won't have time to write but I will continue to post a painting a day. I may add text upon returning to Amsterdam. I hope you will still visit to see the daily painting. 

Cornelis de Vos and Two Sisters

'Two Sisters' (c.1615) by Cornelis de Vos; Sinebrychoff Art Museum, Helsinki

Most of the paintings by the Flemish painter Cornelis de Vos, born in 1584 and died on 9 May 1651, I don't really like, but the one shown here today gets more beautiful and captivating the longer you look at it. I think it's captivating because the girls do look alike, like sisters, but at the same time have different faces. You look at them and you can even decide which of the two you find prettier (I think I find the girl on the right prettier). Vos worked closely with the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens although his style is more similar to Anthony van Dyck than Rubens. He was a portrait painter in Antwerp society and of family groups and among his best works are the paintings of children. It is in his close observation of character that his portraits resemble those of Van Dyck. I love today's portrait! It's rich in detail. Look at the fine and dramatic lace collars and notice the shadows under the eyes of the girl on the right.