Pittura
Painters have been listed alphabetically ignoring all prefix except Le, La, El & Van, eg Van Gogh is listed as such. Last names -or town names before surnames existed- take precedence over preceding names, except where this would be positively misleading, eg Rembrandt & not Van Rijn. Well-known nicknames take precedence over real names, eg Volterra rather than Riciarelli.
CONTENTS: SURNAMES BEGINNING WITH LETTERS:
Vaenius. See van Veen
– Lucas van VALCKENBORCH, 1540-97, brother of Maerten, Belgium :
Background: He was born in Leuven Grove31 p803
Influences: His work was close to that of Pieter Brueghel the Younger though he was not a copyist Grove31 p803
Career: In 1560 her joined the painters’ guild in Mechelen. After fleeing in 1566, he became court painter to archduke Matthias, governor of the Spanish Netherlands, in Brussels & in or after 1582 Linz. During the 1580s he painted a notable series of large works showing the labours of the months. Finally, he lived in Frankfurt Grove31 p803
Oeuvre: Landscape, close-up forest views, subject & allegorical painting, & portraiture including miniatures Grove31 pp 803-4
Characteristics: His work displays solid craftsmanship & sometimes brilliant technique, with brushwork that was careful but not dry or monotonous as in The Massacre of the Innocents 1586 (Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid). His panoramic landscapes used the conventional high viewpoint manner but were based on fist-hand observation, although he often mixed invention with genuine topography & incorporated genre elements Grove31 pp 803-4.
Status: He & Maerten were the most important of a Flemish dynasty of landscapists L&L
Verdict: He did not have Brueghel’s skill but never lapsed into mediocrity Grove31 p803
-Maerten VALCKENBORCH, 1533-1612, brother of Lucas I, Belgium:
Background: He was born in Leuven Grove31 p80
Career: He joined the Guild of St Luke in Mechelen, 1559; went Antwerp, 1560; became a citizen in Aachen, 1573; returned to Antwerp around 1565; & ended at Frankfurt-am-Main where he became a citizen in 1586 & ran a flourishing workshop with Lucas I Grove31 p803
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Landscapes in oils & watercolour including Labours of the Months. Initially his work was very similar to that of Lucas but Maerten preferred uniform, flattish terrain always featuring oak trees & sometimes with large or numerous figures Grove31 p803
Phases: He developed a Late Mannerist style with dramatically agitated clouds & large mountains, as in the Tower of Babel (Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden) Grove31 p803
Status: He & Lucas were the most important members of the dynasty of Flemish landscapists L&L
Son: Frederick, 1566-1623, was also a notable painter Grove31 pp805-7
Valdes. See Leal
-VALADON, Suzanne, 1865-1938, Utrillo’s mother, France:
Background: She was born at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, near Limoge, & was an illegitimate daughter of an unaffectionate maid Grove31 p801
Training: None OxDicMod
Career: She was raised in Paris in bleak conditions & became a circus acrobat until a fall, & was the reigning Montmartre beauty & model, posing for Renoir, Puvis de Chavannes, Toulouse-Lautrec, all of whom were lovers. Degas encouraged her to become artist &, after marrying in 1896, she was able to become a full-time artist OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Portraits, still-life & figure paintings. The latter are her best work as in Joy of Life, 1911 (The Met). Also prints OxDicMod, Grove31 p801
Speciality: Realistically depicted nudes in a decorative setting Grove31 p801
Characteristics: Her work displays a fresh, personal vision & her figure paintings feature bold contour & flat colour OxDicMod
*VALENCIENNES, Pierre-Henri de 1750-1819, France; Romantic Naturalism:
Background: He was born in Toulouse TurnerDtoI p386
Training: At the Toulouse Academy under the history painter Baptiste Depax, & from 1773 in the studio of Gabriel-Francois Doyen, a leading Parisian history painter TurnerDtoI p386
Influences: Joseph Vernet who, probably in 1781, taught him a broader method of landscape painting with aerial perspective TurnerDtoI p386
Career: In 1769 he went to Italy & was back there during 1777-84/5. In 1787 he became an Academician TurnerDtoI p386.
Phases: During his second Italian trip he made plein air oil studies on paper. From 1787 until his death, he painted classical landscapes in a vain Neo-Classical attempt to regain Pousin’s late arcadia but with updated archaeology TurnerDtoI pp 386-7
Characteristics: His landscape are in the classical tradition of Claude & Poussin but with a new Romantic, melancholy feel of the passing of time & nature’s omnipotence R&J p80
Characteristics of his Italian sketches in the Louvre: as in L’ancienne ville d’Agrigente 1787. [They have diverse subjects including trees, rocks, old buildings & hill views, & often create something out of nothing with all the interesting features of working en plein air such as contre-jour effects, sunlight through trees, low horizons, red touches, varied skies, & effective shadows. Beautiful orange yellows; happy pictures, despite some stormy skies.]
Links: He had contact with Thomas Jones DIA pp 11-2
Verdict: He was one of the most gifted exponents of the landscape sketch Norman1987 p19
Legacy: He encouraged the painting of plein air oil studies so as to capture transient light effects & aerial perspective TurnerDtoI p388
-VALENTIN/VALENTIN DE BOULOGNE/LE VALENTIN, Moise, 1594-1632, Italy:
Background: Born in France to an Italian Father L&L
Influences: Caravaggio (one of his finest & most dedicated followers) OxDicArt
Career: Around 1612 he settled Rome and was Poussin’s neighbour and competitor L&L
Oeuvre: Attributed works include religious, mythological genre as in The Four Ages of Man 1629 (NG) OxDicArt
Phases: From 1620’s raffish themes from Bohemian Arcadia (like the Dutch group working in Romel Ter Brugghen, Van Barburen and Honthorst) Waterhouse1962 pp 23, 40
Characteristics: Impressive solemnity and sometimes melancholic OxDicArt; Painted extensive scales of differentiated emotions with passages of real drama Witkower1958 p76; Mostly all figure compositions in landscape format except for occasional single figures and portraits. Frequent depictions of robbing or cheating during card playing, fortune telling along with other subjects such as music making & popular Bible stories, both ancient and modern the Met Exhibition 2016
Gossip: Reportedly died following a cold bath in fountain after a drinking bout OxDicArt
VALLAYER-COSTER, Anne, 1744-1818, France:
Influences: Chardin L&L
Characteristics: Her colours were brighter & more vivid than Chardin’s as in Still Life with Flowers in an Alabaster Vase and Fruit 1783 (NG) & the illusionistic detail more insistent L&L
Verdict: She was one of the most accomplished French still-life painters of the 18th century L&L
–VALLOTTON, Felix, 1865-1925, Switzerland/France:
Background: He was born in Lausanne Norman1977
Training: He studied at the Academie Julian Norman1977
Career: He settled in Paris in 1882 Brigstocke
Oeuvre: Wood engraving from 1892 in an Art Nouveau style Brigstocke
Characteristics: In his engravings he often depicted male-female relationships using strongly contrasting blocks of black & white but with soft forms. His paintings are schematic & Symbolist in subdued & harmonious colour as in Still Life in Flowers 1925 (The Met). After 1902 he mainly painted interiors, nudes & landscapes in an evocative, calm classicising manner Brigstocke.
Innovation: Gauguin apart he was the most important French figure in the revival of the woodcut OxDicMod
Circle: Bonnard, Serusier, Roussel, Vuillard & Ranson at the Academie Julian GibsonM p243
Grouping: The Nabis although he was never a formal member & Symbolism Chasse p72, Brigstocke, GibsonM p243
Politics: He was an Anarchist Denvir p206
Reception: His humour & eroticism provoked hostility & in 1911 the Zurich authorities banned young women from entering his exhibition GibsonM p 243
-VAN AELST, Willem, 1627-c83, Netherlands:
Training: With his uncle the flower painter Evert van Aelst Grove1 p165
Influences: Willem Kalf Grove1 p165
Career: In 1645 he joined the Delft painter’s guild, during 1645-9 was in France, from 1645 to 1649 he was court painter to Ferdinand II de Medici in Florence. There he met Matthias Withoos & van Schrieck. In 1657 he settled in Amsterdam Grove1 p165, L&L
Oeuvre: Flower & still-life work often with hunting equipment & dead game, & some paintings of reptiles & insects in their natural surroundings as in Still Life with Fruit, Lobster and Silver Vessels 1670 (Victoria & Albert Museum), Grove1 p165, Haak pp 496, 498
Characteristics/Verdict: He painted ornate still-life with flowers & precious objects in bright, contrasting, but sometimes rather harsh colours, with sharply outlined forms Grove1 p165, His technique was subtle & clever but he painted so smoothly using cool colours that objects look chilly & stiff. The perfection of his floral paintings verges on sterility Haak pp 195, 496
Innovations/Influence: He used a great deal of cool blue, dark purple & green. His flower compositions are asymmetrical with new vigorous diagonals. Here he had many followers who also adopted his strong light effects Haak p496
Reception: His ornate work was famous Grove1 p165
Forerunner: Rococo L&L
Pupils: Maria van Oosterwijck, Rachel Ruysch Grove1 p166
Van Aken, Jeroen. See Bosch, Hieronymus
..VAN AKEN/VANHACKEN, Joseph, c1699-1749, England (Belgium):
Background: He was probably born in Antwerp Grove 1 p504
Career: He settled in London around 1720. & during the 1720s & 30s was the leading specialist drapery painter OxDicArt. He made numerous drawings, once attributed to Ramsay, that are mostly studies after Van Dyck, Kneller, Maratta etc. showing typical poses from which patrons would presumably be asked to select. [It would however be wrong to assume that clients simply adopted his poses.] Ramsay, for instance, took great trouble working out his compositions Smart pp 40-2.
Clientelle: Included Dandridge, Highmore, Hudson, Knapton, Ramsay & Vanderbank Waterhouse1953 p167
Assistants: His brother Alexander (c1701-57), & Arnold (who died around1735) who was probably another brother OxDicArt
Oeuvre (his own): Genre scenes & conversation pieces OxDicArt.
Grouping: Covent Garden Burke p118
..VAN ANTUM, Aert, 1550-1599, Netherlands=Antwerp :
Speciality: Seascapes OxCompArt
Characteristics: He was in the same tradition as Vroom OxCompArt
-VAN BABUREN, Dirck, c1595-1624, Netherlands=Utrecht:
-VAN BALEN, Hendrik, 1575-1641, Belgium:
-VAN BASSEN, Bartholomeus, recorded 1613-52, Netherlands: The Hague
Career: He is recoded in Delft during 1613-22 & then moved to the Hague where he was municipal architect L&L
Oeuvre: Paintings & architecture L&L
Characteristics: Although he painted imaginary church & palace interiors most of the church paintings appear to have been drawn on site which was innovatory as in Interior of St Cunerakerk, Rhenen 1638 (NG). His light effects create a convincing illusion of three-dimensional space using single point perspective. The palace interiors are lavishly decorated with elegant figures L&L, Hodge 2020 p40
-VAN BEYEREN/BEIJEREN, Abraham, c1620-90, Netherlands=The Hague
Background: He was born in The Hague Haak p459
Influences: Jacques de Claeuw for still-life, & Jan Porcellis for & Jan van Goyen for seascapes Haak p459
Career: In 1639 he joined the guild in The Hague, moved to Delft in 1657, returned to The Hague, but moved to Amsterdam, etc. His pictures fetched low prices & he had financial troubles Haak p459 :
Oeuvre: Still-life including fish as in Still Life with Haddock, Plaice, Lobster 1670 (Glasgow Museum), vanitas & Pronkstilleven, flower pieces & river views Haak p459
Characteristics: His brushwork was assured with a free lose touch, his ability to render textures & his compositional powers was masterly, & his range of subject matter was extremely broad. In still-life it included both rather modest meals to most sumptuous pink banquets Haak pp 459-60.
Status: He was the most important still-life specialist in The Hague L&L
-VAN BIJLERT/BYLERT, Jan, c1598-1671, Netherlands=Utrecht:
Background: Born Utrecht Grove4 p59
Training: His father; 1858 with Charles Humbert, a landscape & animal painter in Geneva Grove4 p59
Influences: Dutch 17th cattle pieces & Rosa Bonheur via Humbert, & the Barbizon painters whose work he saw in Brussels in 1860. In their work he saw harmony, peace, gravity & an intimate bond with nature Grove4 p59
Career: At 17 he accepted the patronage of Johannes Kneppelhout, a Dutch writer, who sent him to The Hague where he took drawing classes etc. In 1857 he went to paint at Oosterbeek which was known as the Dutch Barbizon. After Geneva Bilders lived at Leiden & in 1859 he settled in Amsterdam. He was a melancholy man & died of tuberculosis Grove4 p59
Phases: After seeing the Barbizon paintings his works were mostly wider & more cheerful Grove4 p59
Characteristics: Colours mixed to produce a grey tonality which gave his paintings a distinctive effect of light as in Girl With A Flute 1630 (Art Gallery of New South Wales) Grove4 p59.
Grouping: He was a fore runner of The Hague School’s second generation Grove4 p59
Verdict: He saw landscape as a specific fragment of nature, not as a grand creation by God Fuchs p156
Influenced Paul Joseph, Anton Gabriel, Mauve, Willem Maris Grove4 p59
-Jan VAN BLOEMEN/ORIZONTE, 1662-c1748, Pieter’s brother, Italy (Belgium):
Background: He was born at Antwerp Grove4 p153
Training: His brother & in Antwerp with Anton Goubau who painted market & low-life scenes Paysage d’Italie 1690 (WikiComs) Grove4 p153.
Influences: Gaspard Dughet’s classicizing landscape, Claude, & the beauty of Rome & the Campagna. From 1730 Poussin Grove4 p153,Wikip
Career: He went to Paris around 1682, moved to Lyon where Pieter was staying. By 1688 they were in Rome. He joined the Schildersbent. Though patronised by Roman aristocrats his career was marred by his prolonged quarrel with the Accademia di S. Luca Wikip, Grove4 p153
Oeuvre: Landscapes & genre scenes L&L
Characteristics: Lush Arcadian & pastoral landscapes painted in the manner of Gaspard Dughet with soft warm lighting & classical & religious subject matter using small, spirited brush strokes. Some of his views at the end of the century, which anticipate verdure paintings, are less classical & more realistic, & around 1730 his delicate & sensitive works become calmer Wikip, Wittkower p498, Grove3 p153, L&L.
Patrons: He received commissions from the Pope, the Roman nobility & the Queen of Spain Wikip
Verdict: He produced some of the finest classical landscapes during the first half of the 18th century Grove4 p154
Pupils: Francesco Oelefe/Bavarese, Gabriele Ricciardelli & Nicolo Bonito who all imitated his style Grove4 p154
Influenced: Richard Wilson Solkin1982 p154
Collections: Palazio Doria-Pamphili, Rome
-Pieter VAN BLOEMEN, 1657-1720, Jan’s brother, Belgium:
Background: He was born at Antwerp Grove4 p153
Training: With Simon van Douw Grove4 p153.
Career: In 1673 he became master in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke, he travelled to Rome in 1674, around 1684 he was in Lyon, from 1686-7 he was in Rome where he joined the Schilersbent, he left in 1692, was back in Antwerp in 1694, & became Dean of the Guild in 1699 Grove4 p153.
Oeuvre: It was prolific & included Italian landscapes & genre; & military & history scenes. His Italian period was the most successful L&L, Grove4 p153, Wikip
Characteristics: He painted in the manner of Gaspard Dughet. His work features groups of animals as in Italian Landscape with Cattle 1670 placed in the foreground in which the lively colouring of the figures’ costumes contrasts with the more sober greys & brown of the herds & ruins L&L, Grove 4 p153
-VAN BREE, Matthieu, 1773-1839, Belgium:
Background: Born in Antwerp Norman1977
Career: Studied at the Antwerp Academy, and was favoured by the Empress Joséphine. Became professor of the Academy in 1804 and director in 1827 Norman77
Influence: Imitated Pieter Bruegel, the elder L&L
Oeuvre: A neoclassical painter and portraitist, Van Bree was more important as a teacher and administrator than as an artist Norman77
Legacy: He passed on his admiration of Rubens and van Dyck to his pupils who included Wappers, de Keyser, F de Braekeleer and Wiertz Norman77
..VAN BREKELENKAM, Quiringh/Quirijn, c1620-c1670, Netherlands=Leiden:
Van Bylert. See Van Bijlert
-Hendrick VAN CLEEF, Hendrick, -1589:
-Maerten VAN CLEEF, Maerten, -1581:
*Joos VAN CLEVE/CLEEF, 1511-1540/1, Belgium-Antwerp
Influences: Gerard David, Durer, Gossart, Jan Joest, the Master of the Female, Hans Memling, Raphael, Rogier Van der Jan Weyden’s facial types, Van Eyck, & Italian influences including Leonardo’s sfumato Grove7 pp 423-4, L&L
Career: He became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke, 1511, was co-deacon in 1519-20 & 25, & later went to the court of Francis I Grove7 pp 425-6
Oeuvre: Altarpieces & other religious paintings; portraits as in Anna van Spangen, Wife of Adriaen van der Goes 1543 (NG) Grove7 pp 423-6
Characteristics: Skilled spatial & figural composition, sensitive light & colour effects. Widely ranging subject matter, & an ability to combine traditional & progressive elements, being one of the first to use Patinir’s panoramic vistas & bizarre rock formations Grove7 pp 423-5
Innovation: Stress on St Joseph Grove7 p425
Status: He was a leading painter in Antwerp Grove7 p423
Influence: Those of the Virgin & Child, & Holy Family were influential during most of 16th century Grove7 p423
Grouping: The Antwerp Mannerists with whom he shared a love of extravagant costume, highly detailed, overloaded surfaces, & eroticism Grove7 p425
Son: Cornelis, 1520-70, who painted & went mad Grove7 p423
-VAN CONIXLOO, Gillis, 1544-1606, Netherlands =Antwerp:
Background: He was born in Antwerp, the son of an artist Grove 7 p709. In 1562 the Elector Palatine Fredericki II started a sanctuary for Protestant refugees at Frankenthaler, near Frankfurt. By 1586 it included landscape painters & though it was termed a School it probably only contained a few concurrently TurnerRtoI p115
Training: He was apprenticed to Coecke van der Aelst & Gillis Mostaert Grove7 p710
Career: Around 1562 he went to France & in 1570 became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. He was a staunch Calvanist & in 1587 he escaped the Spanish invasion to Frankenthaler. Here he led its painters. In 1595 he settled in Amsterdam Grove7 p710, L&L, OxDicArt
Phases: Early on he painted panoramic valleys & mountains with biblical & mythological figures; & later close up views of luxuriant forests where the fore, middle & background are interrelated through dramatic light & shade OxDicArt, L&L
Innovation: All-over paintings of dense woodland as in Forest Landscape, 1598 Grove 7 p711
Status: He was the principal landscapist in the Netherlands around 1605 & his contribution to northern landscape was crucial Grove7 p710, L&L
Followers: Esias van de Velde, Hercules Seghers , Roelant Savery, David Vinckboons OxCompArt p 345, L&L
..VAN DALEM, Cornelis, c1533-1574, Belgium, Netherlands:
Background: Born Antwerp, son of a prosperous cloth merchant Grove8 p463
Training: An uncelebrated artist Grove8 p463
Influences: Grove8 p463
Career: He was a merchant & amateur artist but became a master in in the painter’ guild in 1556. In 1565 he & his patrician wife left Antwerp for Breda apparently for religious reasons Grove8 p463
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Exclusively to rocky landscapes & city views featuring subtle tonal colour intense atmosphere as in Landscape with nomads 1550 (Antwerp) with figures often added by others Courthion p93, Grove8 p463
Innovations: Along with Pieter Bruegel the Elder he was important in the development of landscape in the Netherlands Grove8 p463
Van Dashorst. See Moro
-VAN DE CAPPELLE, Jan, c1624-79, Netherlands:
-VAN DELEN, Dirck, c1604-71, Netherlands=Middleburg:
..VAN DEN HOECKE, Jan 1611-51, Belgium; Baroque Classicism
-VAN DER AST, Balthazar, c1593-1657, Bosschaert’s brother-in-law, Netherlands=Utrecht & Delft:
Background: He was born in Middleburg L&L
Training: Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder L&L
Career: Between 1618 & 1632 he was in Utrecht, but in 1632 settled in Delft NGUtrecht p59
Speciality: Still-life consisting of shells L&L
Phases: His pictures gradually became larger & more complex, often with rare & exotic flowers, fruits, insects & shells as in Flowers in a Vase with Shells and Insects 1630 (NG) OxDicArt
Characteristics: He continued Bosschaert’s precise, detailed & carefully balanced style L&L. However, his work shows greater compositional variety, is more tonal & has suppler brushwork. Especially in his later work he attempted to achieve depth in his bouquets Haas p205
Innovations: Still-life shell paintings Fuchs p111
Friends: Roelant Savery NGUtrecht p59
Influence: It was great on flower & fruit painting in Utrecht & Delft L&L
Pupil: de Heem L&L
-VANDERBANK, John, 1694-1739, England; Baroque
Background: He was born in London, the son of a Huguenot tapestry weaver HookJ p187, L&L.
Training: His father. He worked at Kneller’s academy from 1711 to 1720 Grove31 p869.
Career: In 1720 he & Louis Cheron founded a painting academy in which Hogarth trained. His profligacy impaired his success. He kept a coach & horses & a country e for his mistress. In 1724 he fled to France to avoid arrest for debt & in 1729 was sent to the Fleet Prison where he continued to work L&L, Grove31 p869.
Oeuvre: Portraits, 20 small scenes featuring Don Quixote, 1731-6, & book illustration L&L.
Characteristics: He was a vivid portraitist with a painterly & Hogarth-like style as in A Youth of the Lee Family, Probably William Lee of Totteridge Park 1738 (Tate) L&L. It was He painted in a lighter more pleasurable & French than that of the heavier one in the tradition of Riley & Richardson Waterhouse1953 p165.
Verdict: His best work is vigorous but his handling is often sloppy OxDicArt
Innovations: paintings illustrating literary text L&L
**VAN DER GOES, Hugo, active 1467-82, Belgium=Ghent:
Background: He was probably born in Ghent L&L
Career: In 1467 he became a master in the painters guild at Ghent & in 1775 he became its dean & also entered a priory near Brussels, He continued to paint & travel but in 1781 suffered a mental breakdown OxDicArt
Oeuvre: His only securely documents work is the Portinari Altarpiece OxDicArt
Verdict: He was one of the most innovative & technically brilliant Netherlandish painters JonesS p84
Influence: The Portinari Altarpiece influenced Italian painting where it countered the tendency to idealisation L&L
-VAN DER HAMEN Y, (Gomez de) LEON, Juan, 1596-1631, Spain:
Background: He was born in Madrid, the son of a Flemish nobleman Brown1998 p114
Influences: Sanchez Cotan & Frans Snyders Brown1998 p112
Career: By 1619 he was producing still-lifes for Philip III & then Philip IV Brown1998 p112, Grove14 p104
Oeuvre: Still-life, religious works & portraits for which he was renowned
Characteristics: In his dramatic still-lifes the objects are set on a ledge close to the picture plane against dark backgrounds using striking light effects as in Still life with fruits and glassware 1606 (Museum of Fine Art, Houston) like those of Sanchez Cotan. From 1626 he used a more elaborate arrangement of objects placed on stepped stone plinths L&L, Brown1998 p114, Grove14 p104
Innovation: He more than anyone else established new genre of still-life painting in Madrid Grove14 p104
Repute: His still-lifes are now considered among the finest ever Brown1998 p114
..VAN DER HEYDEN, Jan, 1637-1612, Netherlands=Amsterdam:
-VAN DER HELST, Bartholomeus, 1613-70, Netherlands; Northern Realism Movement
Background: Born Haarlem L&L
Influences: Van Dyck L&L
Career: Around 1627 he was established in Amsterdam, & in about 1645 he replaced Rembrandt as the city’s leading portraitist L&L
Oeuvre: Portraits OxDicArt
Characteristics: Bright colouring. His portraits were detailed, tasteful & slightly flattering & sometimes pompous L&L, OxcDocArt, Fuchs p92
Innovations: A shift to a more stylish Golden Age portrait style in which gestures were less emphatic & sitters more elevated Fuchs pp 91-2
Influence: Rembrandt’s pupils Ferdinand Bol & Govert Flink abandoned Rembrandt’s style for that of Helst OxDicArt
Repute; This endured into the 18th century & was Reynolds favoured him favoured him more than Rembrandt OxDicArt
-VAN DER LAEMEN, Christian, c1606-52, Belgium:
*VAN DER LECK, Bart, 1876-1958, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Utrecht OxDicMod
Training: In Amsterdam, 1900-4 OxDicMod
Influences: Initially Art Nouveau & Impressionism
Career: At first, he worked in stained-glass studios. In 1916 he met Mondrian & in 1917 helped found De Stijl but left 1n 1918 due to its dogmatism OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings, & during the 1920s textile design during the 1920s, & subsequently ceramics etc OxDicMod
Phases/Characteristics: From about 1910 he his style was more personal with simplified & stylised geometrical forms, lacking perspective, in primary colours & featuring workers & soldiers. By about 1917 he was painting abstractions with dispersed bars & rectangles but soon reverted to simplified figural subjects, although latterly he reverted to abstraction OxDicMod, L&L
Collections: Rijksmuseum, Kroller-Muller, Otterlo OxDicMod
-VANDERLYN, John, 1775-1852, USA:
Background: He was born at Kingston, New York. His father was a painter Norman1977
Training: In 1796 under Vincent, being the only American of his generation trained in Paris Norman1977
Career: In 1801 he returned to America but in 1803 he went back to Europe to copy Old Masters. Between 1805 & 1808 he was in Rome with Allston. Vanderlyn returned to New York in 1815 where he had to concentrate on portraiture to make money Norman1977
Oeuvre: History & portrait paintings Norman1977
Characteristics: Idealisation & high finish Norman1977
Grouping: Neo-classical Norman1977
-VAN DER MEULEN, Frans, 1632-90, Belgium:
Career: He was active in Brussels until 1664. Around 1665 Colbert made him the chief recorder of LouisXIV’s wars. Meulen travelled with the army & made careful studies. He was one of Lebrun’s principal assistants L&L, Allen p204
Oeuvre: Views, travel, hunting scenes, battles & designs for the Gogobelins tapestry works L&L
Characteristics: His fluent &elegant work with its accurate details features clouds of gunsmoke & handsomely dressed cavalry officers. His vast panoramas are bathed in a rarefied light whereas his smaller works are built up with small , thick touches of paint have a surprising lightness & realism L&L, T&C p114
Influences: Desportes T&C p114
– Aernout/Aert VAN DER NEER, c1603-77, father of Eglon & Jan, Netherlands=Amsterdam:
Influences: Late Rubens landscapes may have inspired his treatment of coloured light L&L
Career: Around 1632 he settled in Amsterdam. In 1659 he opened an inn & in 1662 he went bankrupt. Latterly his work deteriorated L&L
Oeuvre: It was prolific OxDicArt
Speciality: Snowy landscapes; nocturnal & moonlight scenes L&L
Phases: Initially his paintings were characterised by a grey-green tonality L&L
Characteristics: A mastery of light effects & subtle modulations of colour OxDicArt
Innovations: Nocturnes with burning towns which may have influenced Turner L&L
Status: The tonal phase of Dutch landscape painting like Van Goyen, Salomon Van Ruysdael, de Molijn L&L pp 292, 467, 620,
Status: He was the leading Dutch painter of moonlight scenes OxDicArt
Progeny: His son Jan, 1638-65, was also a painter & he imitated his father OxDicArt
– Eglon VAN DER NEER, 1634-1703, Aernout’s son & Jan’s brother, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Amsterdam Grove22 p720
Training: Probably his father & then with the genre & history painter Jacob van Loo Grove22 p720
Influences: Gerard Terborch, Gerrit Dou, Frans van Mieris, & for his backward-looking landscapes Adam Elsheiemer Grove22 p721
Career: He was in France around 1654, was in Amsterdam in 1659 & in Rotterdam by 1664 where he remained until 1679. After about 1685 he served in various noble courts & in 1690 became court painter in Dusseldorf to John William, the Elector PalatineGrove22 p721
Oeuvre: Aristocratic genre, landscapes, history & religious paintings & portraits Grove22 pp 720-1
Speciality: Elegant & gentile ladies reading, preferring food & playing instruments Grove22 p721
Characteristics: His mature works have the smooth, licked finish of the Leiden Fine Painters. His landscapes feature densely wooded hills &lush, meticulous foliage Grove23 p721.
Feature: He was one of the few late 17th century artists whose genre paintings have a symbolic meaning Grove23 p721
.. Jan VAN DER NEER, 1638-65, Aernout’s son & Eglon’s brother, Netherlands:
*Adriaen VAN DER WERFF, 1659-22, Pieter’s brother, Netherlands; Baroque Classicism
Training: Eglon van der Neer L&L
Career: In 1696 he was painter to the Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm at Dusseldorf, but was mainly resident in Rotterdam L&L
Oeuvre: This included a few elegant portraits, pastoral scenes, etc L&L
Phases: About 1685 he abandoned the genre of the Leiden School for elegant classicising mythological & religious cabinet pictures L&L
Characteristics: Covert or overt sensuality, occasional sentimentality L&L
Status: From around 1695 he had an international reputation. He was one of the most successful Dutch artists of all time L&L
Grouping: The Dutch Classicists MB
..Pieter VAN DER WERFF, c1655-1722, Adriaen’s brother, Netherlands= Rotterdam:
Training: brother L&L
Career: He was Pieter’s collaborator & close imitator OxDicArt
..Goswijn VAN DER WEYDEN, c1465-after 1538, Rogier’s grandson:
..Harry VAN DER WEYDEN, 1868-1952, France/England (USA):
Background: He was born in Boston NGArtinP p262
Training: The Slade under Legros from 1887, & in Paris at the Academie Julian under Jean-Paul Laurens, Jules-Joseph Lefebre & Benjamin-Constant from 1890 NGArtinP p262, Chris Beetles site
Career/Oeuvre: The family migrated to London in 1870, & from around 1900 he lived at Montreuil-sur-Mer & painted landscapes & seascapes. During 1891-99 he exhibited at the Salon & the Société National des Beaux-Arts, etc. In 1914 he settled in Sussex in Rye & during 1916-18 served as a camouflage officer with the Royal Engineers at Etaples, painting war scenes. After the war he lived at Hendon & West Hampstead NGArtinP p262, Chris Beetles site
Characteristics/Verdict: He painted in an Impressionist & tonalist style. Moonlight scenes feature in his work & he cleverly heightened the impact of his works by means of deft composition & notable cloud effects Chis Beetles site, webimages
***Rogier VAN DER WEYDEN, c1399-1464, Goswijn’s Grandpa; Byzantine Movement
Background: His father was a cutler in Tournai Grove33 p117
Training: During 1427-31 he was Campin’s apprentice Grove33 p117
Influences: Fra Angelico Harbison pp157-8
Career: In 1432 he became a master in the Tournai guild. By 1436 he was in Brussels, where he lived till his death. He achieved speedy fame, was prosperous & made investments & gifts. In 1450 he visited Rome Grove33 p117
Oeuvre: Altarpieces & other religious works [dealing with New Testament subject matter] & portraits. Except for the lost justice panels painted for Brussels town hall he painted nothing else Grove33 pp 118-124, Cuttler p109
Technique: He painted on panels primed with gesso thus exploiting its smooth surface & strangely reflective quality Grove12 p501
Phases: In his early period, c1432-42, he was a follower of the Master of Female. During his middle period from about 1442 to 1450 he completely abandoned the laws of perspective, & his works have spatial & scale inconsistencies. Nevertheless, he created startlingly memorable & dramatic images Grove33 pp 119-1. In his late period during the 1450s & 60s his work was superbly designed as shown by the Columba Triptych of the Annunciation, Adoration of Magi, & Presentation in the Temple, c1455 (Alte Pinakothek , Munich), Crucifixion, c1455-6, & also in the stylised & starkly simplified Crucifixion Diptych, c1460 (Philadelphia Museum of Art) Grove pp 122-3, Harbison pp157-8.
Characteristics: A masterly linking of form & meaning; often extraordinary careful painting of details, unlike Van Eyck’s more impressionistic execution, e.g., Rogier’s Descent from the Cross, & The Magdalene Reading JonesS pp 14, 54, Nash p34. Unlike Campin-Flemalle, he was not interested in straightforward narrative painting. Through rich colour & rhythmic line his work generates emotion in contrast to Van Eyck’s dispassionate realism Grove33 p127, WestS1996.
Feature: The altarpiece of the Last Judgement, c1446 (Musee d’hôtel-Dieu, Beaume) is highly unusual because of the absence of devils carrying the damned off to Hell to which they are walking Cuttler p117, Pl 9
Workshop: It was prolific L&L
Innovations: The use of transparent oil-glazes over lighter opaque underpainting so obtaining rich saturated colours & greater tonal variation in the modelling of forms Grove12 p803. [Indeed, he appears to have introduced bright scarlet-vermillion, & distinctive new shades of green to the repertoire of colour] See Cuttler Pl 9, JonesS p55, Vaizey p81
Patronage: Philip the Good; John II of Castile; Leonello d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara, etc Grove 33 p117
Status: He had an unchallenged ascendancy after Van Eyck’s death in 1441 Grove33 p127
Progeny: His compositions were repeated by his son Pieter, & also by his grandson Gossen/Godwin, c1465-after 1538, & his great-grandson Rogier who had somewhat limited horizons L&L, Grove33 pp 128-9
Legacy/Repute: He had a huge & lasting influence on religious painting, though his more radically abstract conceptions were seldom borrowed by his followers. Their pictures were more logical but less expressive. He was almost totally forgotten in the 18th century as accessible pictures in the Low countries had been destroyed & removed. The recovery in his reputation was slow because unworthy paintings were attributed to him Grove33 p127
.. Adriaen VAN DE VELDE, 1636-72, Willem the elder’s son & Willem the Younger’s brother, Netherlands:
Training: Eglon van der Neer L&L
Career: In 1696 he was painter to the Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm at Dusseldorf, but was mainly resident in Rotterdam L&L
Oeuvre: This included a few elegant portraits, pastoral scenes, etc L&L
Phases: About 1685 he abandoned the genre of the Leiden School for elegant classicising mythological & religious cabinet pictures L&L
Characteristics: Covert or overt sensuality, occasional sentimentality L&L
Status: From around 1695 he had an international reputation. He was one of the most successful Dutch artists of all time L&L
Grouping: The Dutch Classicists MB
Brother: Pieter, c1655-1722, was Adriaen’s collaborator & close imitator OxDicArt
– Esaias/Esias VAN DE VELDE, c1591-1630, Jan’s uncle but no relation of Willem, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Amsterdam, the son of a Protestant, who had fled religious persecution in Antwerp, & was a painter & art dealer Grove32 p137.
Training: Probably with his father but possibly also with van Coninxloo or Vinckboons Grove32 p137
Influences: Vinckboons for his earlier work L&L
Career: During 1610-8 he worked in Haarlem but then settled in The Hague L&L.
Oeuvre: Over 180 paintings of which 117 are landscapes. During the 1620s he painted dune & coastal scenes, river landscapes & hilly landscapes, which were the most traditional & academic aspect of his work. He also painted outdoor parties & other genre, sacred scenes mostly set within landscapes, & etchings & engravings Grove32 pp 138-9
Phases: His earliest work, including his paintings of outdoor parties of 1614-24, were manneristic Grove32 p139, OxDicArt.
Characteristics: He used chiaroscuro extensively to define composition in his landscapes. These feature low horizons, a diagonal river course, & colouration that is tonal, uniform & undramatic Grove32 pp 138-9. His brushwork was fresh & his vision had directness OxDicArt
Aim: To present Dutch landscape in all its monotony Grove32 p138
Firsts: He was a pioneer of realistic Dutch landscape & his river scenes show the most compositional experimentation. The work of his predecessors Coninxloo, Vinckboons & Slavery had represented the Mannerist tradition of landscape which were fantastic & unrealistic showing turbulent & hilly scenes from a low viewpoint with almost no sky L&L, Grove32 p138
Pupils: Van Goyen; Salomon van Ruysdael OxDicArt
-Henry VAN DE VELDE, 1863-1957, Belgium:
Background: Born Antwerp OxDicMod
Training: At the Antwerp Academy, 1880-3 OxDicMod
Career: Under the influence of Ruskin & Morris he gave up painting in about 1890 & henceforth devoted himself to the decorative arts, architecture & applied art. In 1896 he decorated Siegfried Bing’s Paris shop Maison de L’Art Nouveau featuring sinuous curves. He moved to Germany in 1900 & lived in Weimar, 1902-17 where he became head of the new Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts & Crafts). He moved to Switzerland & in 1922 to Holland Masini pp 34, 394, OxDicMod.
Oeuvre: Paintings, design & architecture OxDicMod
Status: He was one of Art Nouveau’s chief creators & exponents; & a key figure in the development of 20th century art teaching which stressed the needs of the modern world rather than study of the past OxDicMod
Grouping: Belgian Neo-Impressionist painting of which he was a pioneer L&L
Politics/Beliefs: He shared Morris’ socialist ideals but not his distaste for industrial production Masini p34.
Jan VAN DE VELDE II, 1593-1641, Esaias’ nephew, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Background: Born Rotterdam or Delft Grove32 p140
Training: With the draftsman-engraver Jacob Matham in Haarlem Grove32 p140
Oeuvre: Etchings & engravings , some of which he published himself. Initially he produced his own designs but he later based his work on drawings by other artists. He was also a painter Grove32 p140
Characteristics: His landscape drawings & prints have simple compositions & fluent hatching Grove32 p140
Influence: His drawings & prints had an enormous influence on Rembrandt & others Grove32 p140
Progeny: His son Jansz, c1619-93, was primarily an Amsterdam still-life painter L&L
-Willem VAN DE VELDE, the Elder, 1611-93, Netherlands/England:
Background: He was born at Leiden L&L. His father was a naval captain & his brother the skipper of a merchantman OxDicArt
Career: In his youth he was a sailor OxDicArt. From 1652 he was the official Dutch war artist but in 1673, in order to escape the French invasion & a tumultuous marriage, he settled in England. The following year he became the official naval war artist with his son Willem the Younger, & had a studio in the Queen’s House, Greenwich L&L
Oeuvre: Sea battles & shipping L&L
Technique: He used grisaille because this was speedy, & more permanent than drawings, for his depictions of sea battles which he produced on the spot. However, he also painted shipping pieces in oil L&L, Waterhouse1953 p152
Legacy: He was the hero of the Thames Estuary School Burke p115
Collections: National Maritime Museum
-Willem VAN DE VELDE the Younger, 1633-1707, Adriaen’s brother, Netherlands/England:
Training: His father, & de Vlieger L&L
Career: In 1673 he settled in England & in the following year he became, with his father, the official naval war artist & had a
studio in the Queen’s House, Greenwich L&L. Nevertheless he continued to paint naval battles for the Dutch market OxDicArt
Oeuvre: Sea battles, ship portraits, & atmospheric seascapes L&L. His composition was majestic OxDicArt
Innovations: He initiated English marine painting L&L
Status: One of most illustrious maritime painters OxDicArt
Collections: National Maritime Museum
-VAN DIEPENBECK, Abraham, 1596-1675, Belgium; Baroque:
Background: He was born at Hertogenbosch & the son of a glass painter Grove8 p877
Training: In his father’s workshop. He was Rubens’ assistant L&L, Grove8 p877
Influences: Raphael, the Mannerist work of Primaticcio & Niccolo de;’Abbate, Van Dyck Grove8 p877 Grove8 p878-9
Career: In 1622-3 he became a master glass painted in the guild of St Luke, Antwerp. From the 1630s he received painting commissions; apparently worked in Paris in the early 1630s; joined the painters’ guild, 1638; made drawings for Rubens probably in 1632 Grove8 p877
Oeuvre/Verdict: Paintings, prints, glass painter, illustrator with his reputation mainly resting on his oil sketches & drawings for window design L&L, Grove8 p877
Style: A Rubenesque emphasis on motion, dramatic expression & realistic facial types, pronounced musculature indicated by chiaroscuro, & also the heavy outlining of figures. In his later work he strove for greater elegance & expressiveness Grove8 pp 878-9:
Patrons: The Norbertine Order Grove8 p877
**VAN DOESBURG/KUPPERS, Theo/Christian, 1883-1931, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Utrecht L&L
Training: None OxDicMod
Influences: His early work was influenced by Impressionism, Fauvism & Expressionism OxDicMod. He was interested in theosophy & believed that his work had penetrated beyond appearances to reveal a greater underlying truth Grove30 p711.
Career: He planned to have a career in the theatre but began painting in 1899 & had his first exhibition in 1908 OxDicMod. In 1915 he met Mondrian OxDicMod. In 1917 he founded the organisation & associated journal De Stijl. He returned to Paris in 1919, & co-founded the International Faction of Constructivists in 1922 TurnerEtoPM p112, OxDicMod. He spent much of the 1920s travelling to promote De Stijl ideas, particularly in Germany where, during 1922-4, he taught intermittently at the Bauhaus OxDicMod. During 1926 he termed his new diagonal paintings Elementalism in a manifesto in De Stijl. In 1930 he coined the term Concrete Art & in 1931 a meeting in his studio led to the formation of Abstraction-Creation TurnerEtoPM p107, OxDicMod.
Phases: In 1913 he exhibited impressionist paintings Lynton p356. After 1915 he was converted to complete abstraction OxDicMod. Prior to 1924 he painted Mondrianesque vertical-horizontal pictures Lynton p114. During 1924-5 he moved to more dynamic & expressive diagonal grids in a series entitled Counter-compositions in Dissonance XVI Lynton p114, OxDicMod. However, although he used lines to contrast rectangular forms they were always black & did not, like Diller’s, function as bands L&L p71
Innovation: All-over abstract paintings consisting of circular & other shapes of a squiggle or geometric type including short lines as in Composition I , 1916 (Kroller Muller Museum) & II,1916 (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid)
Beliefs: “I abhor all that is temperament, inspiration, sacred fire, & all the attributes of genius that conceal the untidiness of the mind” Read1959 p202. In the Constructivist manifesto of 1922 he opposed subjectivity which was “the tyranny of the individual”. He said art was a tool of universal progress & the machine was an inspiration leading to a mechanical cosmogony (sic) TurnerEtoPM p112, Lynton p115. In the Concrete Art manifesto, 1930, he asserted that a painting has no other significance than itself & opposed natural forms & lyricism; Concrete Art emanates directly from the mind & has no starting point in the natural world TurnerEtoPM p107
Personal: He had chronic asthma OxDicMod
-VAN DONGEN, Kees, 1877-1968, Netherlands:
Training: the applied arts L&L
Influences: Toulouse-Lautrec & Steinlen L&L
Career: c1895 settled in Paris; in 1905 he became known as a Fauvre & in 1908 he joined Die Brucke L&L
Phases: his early works were clumsy; he later concentrated on painting female dancers, nudes & portraits L&L
Characteristics: strong composition & firm colour L&L
***VAN DYCK, Sir Anthony, 1599-1641, Belgium:
* Floris VAN DYCK/DIJCK, 1575-1651, Netherlands=Haarlem; Northern Realism:
Background: Born Haarlem into a patrician family Grove9 p489
Career: After visiting Italy he joined the Haarlem painters’ guild, 1610, & in 1637 became the deacon, 1637 Grove9 p489, L&L
Characteristics: Oblong still-lifes featuring small breakfasts & banquets on the middle of the table & extending beyond its sides with discreetly positioned objects as seen from a high viewpoint. The disarray indicates that somebody has been eating as in Ontbitjtje/Breakfast Piece, 1613 (Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem). His paint handling is fluid & delicate, light is diffused & textures are emphasised Fucks p111, L&L, Grove9 p490
Innovations: Together with Nicolaes Gillis, Floris Van Schooten & Roelof Koets, he was a pioneer of Dutch still-life & banquet pieces Grove9 p489-90, L&L
van Everdingen. See Everdingen
***VAN EYCK, Jan, -c1395-1441; Belgium=Bruges; Northern Renaissance
Career: During 1422-4 he served John of Bavaria at The Hague & then in 1425 he went to Bruges & became court painter to Philip the Good, Duke of Bergundy. After moving to Lille, he made confidential missions for Philip, visiting Portugal & Spain & probably Italy. Around 1430 he moved to Bruges where he finally settled & bought a house in 1432 L&L, Grove10 pp 705-7, WestS1996
Oeuvre: Religious scenes, secular works & portraits Grove10 pp 705-11
Characteristics/Technique/ Status: Together with Campin-Flemalle, Van Eyck broke with the International Gothic style & initiated Northern Renaissance painting which was given physical form in The Ghent Altarpiece c1425-32 (St Bavon Cathedral, Ghent) by Van Eyck Brothers . OxDicArt,Cuttler pp 69-70, 76, 88, 93, Pl 7. Jan’s works display positive pleasure, his delight in the appearance of things & his searching observation: illusion was his goal. A work by Van Eyck is not just a painting it is a real & precious object. It is a reconstruction rather than a mere representation of the visible world. Because of its sheer sensuous beauty, it has a strange fascination of a hypnotic type. It is difficult to tear oneself away. Previous naturalists of the 15th century faced the problem of how to convey the details they avidly observed without sacrificing overall unity. The High Renaissance & Baroque developed a technique in which details appeared to be submerged in wide areas of light & shade & later by impasto brushwork. Jan evolved a method in which the details are so numerous that they are lost in an overall impression which is a combination of the microscopic & the telescopic. Van Eyck placed transparent oil-glazes over lighter opaque underpainting so obtaining rich saturated colours & greater tonal variation in the modelling of forms Panofsky1971 pp180-2, Grove12 p803.
Symbolism: Despite its naturalism his work is full of symbolism both obvious & abstruse. In his Madonna in a Church, c1425 (Gemaldegalerie, Berlin) the Virgin is excessively large & there are impossible sunbeams coming from the north Friedlaender1 p4, Panofsky1971 pp 180-2, Grove10 p712, Cuttler p85
Phases: His work became increasingly solemn, immobile & monumental. In the early Ghent altarpiece, the Slaying of Abel is dramatic & terrifying but in his mature works the principal characters are nearly motionless in an almost static world as in the Madonna of Canon George van der Paele with Sts Donation & George, 1434-6 (Groening Museum, Bruges). Jan Van Eyck was the 15th century artist who came nearest to achieving a perfect harmony between the real & the supernatural. Because of their overwhelming verisimilitude & solemnity his mature works have a spiritual force which can be described as spiritual since it is not emotional Cuttler pp 96-8, Panofsky 1971 p182, Pl 8 after p180.
Innovation: The Arnolfini Marriage appears to be the earliest painting of a companionate marriage, & one that is taking place. Govanni & Jeanne Cenami had no close relatives in Bruges & until the Council of Trent a marriage could be contracted without a priest by means of a mutual vow. The painting is not only a portrait but also a marriage certificate. Hence the signature in legal script, “Jan van Eyck was here”. [And the marriage is doubly companionate because the couple are going to make love as indicated by] its location in a bedroom. The matrimonial bed was so sacred that a married couple in bed could be shown being blessed by the Trinity. Another innovation by Van Eyck was the Flemish form of the Sacra Conversazione in the Van der Paele Madonna Panofsky1971 pp 202-3, Murrays1963 p15.
Although Van Eyck did not, as long believed, invent oil painting, his technique was dazzling & possibly explained by his invention or perfection of a better or purer oil medium & that it is this which accounts for the fluid quality & jewel-like clarity colour. He painted on panels primed with gesso thus exploiting its smooth surface & strangely reflective quality, & then superimposed a series of transparent oil-glazes so obtaining rich saturated colours, greater tonal variation in the modelling of forms & relief L&L, Murrays1963 p83, Grove12 pp 501,803. Because of his ability to observe Van Eyck, unlike Campin-Flemalle, mastered perspective Gomb1972 pp 176-81, Cuttler p76, Pl 7.
Feature: Figures reflected in mirrors as in the Arnolfini marriage & a lost nude Grove12 p803, JonesS pp 14, 32, Grove12 p803
Principal Followers: Petrus Christus & Dieric Bouts WestS1996, L&L
Influence/Repute: Modelling by means of glazes were transmitted to Italy & in particular Venice where they were pioneered by Antonella de Messina. The work of Van Eyck was highly regarded in the Low Counties, the Rhineland, Italy & Spain. It was however less celebrated than the less austere & more emotional paining of Rogier Van Der Weden. In the 19th century Van Eyck was the first of the Flemish primitive to receive critical attention Grove 10 pp 712-4, & 12 p803, WestS1996
GHENT/WASSENHOVE/GIUSTO DA GUANTO, Joos/Justus, c1410-c1480, Netherlands: Belgium
Influences: His friend Hugo Van Der Goes, & Pietro della Francesca at Urbino Grove17 pp 702-3
Career: In 1460 he matriculated at the Antwerp painters’ guild; from 1464 to around 1468 he was in Ghent where he painted the Crucifixion Triptych, 1467-9 (St Bravon cathedral, Ghent) & Adoration of the Magi (The Met). He then went to Rome & by 1472 had settled at Urbino where he worked for Duke Federico da Montefeltro, possibly collaborated with his assistant Pedro Berruguete. Here he painted Communion of the Apostles, 1473-4 (Palazzo Ducale, Urbino), his only documented work Grove17 p702, L&L, OxDicArt,Cuttler p149
Oeuvre: Religious paintings, figure compositions & portraiture, including a large number of imaginary portraits of illustrious men, although their authorship is disputed Wikip, Grove17 pp 702-5
Characteristics: His earlier work have unusually delicate colour including mauves, pink, hyacinth blues, & rich sonorous greens Grove17 p705.
Innovation/Anticipation: The first use of broken colour in the North. Hitherto a single colour had been used for each unit but in the left wing of the of the Crucifixion Triptych the blue headdress of the woman in profile changes to brown. Such broken colour became increasingly popular in the late 14th century & 15th & was used extensively by Quinten Massys in his St Anne Altarpiece , 1507-9 Cuttler pp 149-50, 419
Influence: He spread knowledge of oil painting in Italy OxDicArt
****VAN GOGH, Vincent, 1853-90, Netherlands; Expressionism Movement
-VAN GOYEN, Jan, 1596-1656, Netherlands:
-VAN HAARLEM, Cornelis Cornelisz, 1562-1638, Netherlands; Mannerism Movement
*VAN HEEMSKERCK, Marten, 1498-1574, Netherlands:
..VAN HEEMSKERK, Egbert, c1634-1704, Netherlands:
-VAN HEMESSEN, Jan Sanders, c1500-66, Katarina’s father, Netherlands=Antwerp:
Background: He came from the village of Hemessen outside Antwerp Grove14 p379
Training: He was apprenticed to Hendrik Van Cleve I, 1519-20 Grove14 p379
Influences: Classical statues & Italian Renaissance painters including Luca Signorelli, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Rosso Fiorentino; & the northern realism of Albrecht Durer, Quinten Massys, Joos Van Cleeve, Marrinus Van Reymerswale, also Bronzino & Classical statues Grove14 pp 379-80
Career: He made an extensive trip to Italy during the 1620s where he established a flourishing workshop & helped by an advantageous marriage became wealthy. By 1524 he was a master in the Antwerp guild, becoming dean, 1548; & around 1550 he probably moved to Haarlem. He clearly had close ties with the Antwerp Chamber of Rhetoric Grove14 pp 379, 381, OxDicArt
Oeuvre: Religious paintings Portraits Grove14 p381
Speciality: St Gerome, & genre-like religious scenes with large half-length up-front figures, sometimes caricatured; & also paintings illustrating popular proverbs & parables L&L, OxDicArt
Characteristics: The skilful depiction of fabrics, textures & still-life using a warm palette with rich brown, orange & ruddy tones, & employing strong chiaroscuro Grove14 p381
Phases: His figures became increasingly monumental, sculptured & dramatic during the 1540s. After 1450 his style became harsh & uneven with brutal realism, angularity & distortion. His works were increasingly involved with the Counter-Reformation ethos & its emotionalism as in the Calling of St Matthew, c1548 (The Kunsthistorisches) Grove14 pp 380-81, webimages
Innovations: A couple companionably playing a board game as in Double Portrait of a Husband & Wife playing Tic-trac, an early form of Backgammon, 1532; & Grove14 pp 380-1 [whereabouts?]. Also, the recognition that the depiction of the female nude as slender & sylph-like by Botticelli & Cranach ignores the usual fleshiness, & often muscular power, of the unclothed woman as in his Judith, c1540 (Art Institute, Chicago)
Verdict/Status: He is sometimes considered a founder of Flemish genre painting & was the most original artist in Antwerp between the death of Metsys in 1530 & the 1550s when Pieter Bruegel began his career OxDicArt, Grove14 p379
Influence: Pieter Aertsen, Joachim Beuckaeleur Grove14 p381
Repute: He had fallen into obscurity by 1600 & is not mentioned in any of the well-known texts on the female nude such as Clark1956 Grove14 p381,
-Katharina/Catharina, VAN HEMESSEN, c1527-66, Jan’s daughter, Netherlands:
Background: Born Antwerp Grove14 p382
Training: Her father Grove14 p382
Career: In 1854 she married an organist at Antwerp cathedral after which no paintings are known Grove14 p382
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Small portraits of men & women of a restrained & tasteful type. Her figures are delicate, flat, with a graceful charm & wearing stylish costumes L&L
*VAN HONTHORST, Gerard/Gerrit, 1590-1656=Utrecht/The Hague:
Background: Born Utrecht into a Catholic family. His grandfather Gerrit & his father Herman were textile & tapestry designers, & belonged to the Utrecht artists’ guilds Grove14 p727
Teacher: Bloemaert L&L
Influences: Hendrick Ter Brugghen, Bartolomeo Manfredi, Dirck Van Baburn, & Valentin de Boullogne Grove14 p729
Career: He was in Italy from around 1611, lived in the palace of Caravaggio’s patron, Vincenzo Giustiniani; returned to Utrecht, 1620; joined the Guild of St Luke,1622, serving as it dean, 1625-6 & 1628-9; painted in England, invited by Charles I, 1628; produced a long series of history paintings for Christian IV of Denmark, 1635; & was court painter at The Hague, from about 1635 to 1652, though he continue to reside in Utrecht until 1637. He became extremely rich with a large & flourishing workshop. In 1652 he retired to Utrecht & thereafter produced relatively little Grove14 pp 731-2, Brigstocke, L&L, NGUtrecht p43
Oeuvre: Genre, religious, historical & allegorical works including ceiling panels together with portraits Grove14 pp 728-30
Characteristic/Phases: His work was Caravaggesque, but unlike Caravaggio he used a lighted candle as a light source producing warmer colour & more suffused light as in Christ Crowned with Thorns, c1622 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). During the mid-1620s he began using natural light & produced work such as the [as in] Concert Group, 1624 (Louvre) with its cool daylight effects & bright colours. His work also gradually became more bland & classical. In the early 1630s he abandoned Caravaggism. His court portraits were insipid but financially rewarding. From 1649 he was largely engaged on decorative work at the Huis ten Bosch in The Hague & other royal places Brigstocke, NGUtrecht p45, Grove14 pp 729-31
Innovation: He modified Caravaggio natural light into nocturnal scenes with clever light effects sometimes from hidden sources L&L, OxDicArt, Grove14 p728
Feature: He painted genre scenes with broadly smiling figures as in Merry Company (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) Grove14 pp 728-9, Baard Fig 24, 33
Grouping: The Dutch Classicists MB
Status: He was the leading Utrecht Caravaggisti Grove14 p727
Pupils: Jan Gerritsz. Van Bronchorst, Robert Van Voerst, Gerard Van Kuijll, Jan Both, etc Grove14 p731
Influenced: Rembrandt & perhaps La Tour L&L
Brother: Willem became his assistant Grove14 p730
*VAN HOOGSTRAETEN, Samuel, 1627-78, Netherlands:
Background: Born Dordrecht. His parents came from Mennonite families of skilled artisans who had come from Antwerp around 1600. His father, Dirck, was a gold & silversmith who took up painting & joined the Guild of St Luke in Dordrecht Grove14 p737
Training: He was apprenticed to his father until he died, 1640; entered Rembrandt’s Amsterdam studio, probably 1642 Grove14 p737
Influences: The genre works of Gabriel Metsu, Gerard Ter Borch & Vermeer Grove14 p739
Career: By 1648 he had returned to Dordrecht; was baptised as a Mennonite; published his first book, 1650; painted portraits for the court; adopted the aristocratic fashion of wearing a sword & was consequently reprimanded by the Mennonites, 1651; immediately left for Germany, Italy where he joined the Schildersbent in Rome, & the court of Ferdinand III in Vienna; returned to Dordrecht, 1655; became master of the Dutch Mint & married into a prominent Dordrecht family, 1656; was consequently expelled by the Mennonites; joined the Reformed Church, 1657; opened a teaching studio; went to London, 1662-66; lived in The Hague until 1671 when he returned to Dordrecht Grove14 p738-39
Oeuvre: Paintings, engravings, drawings, etc which included religious works, history paintings, genre scenes, views through windows & doors, an innovative letter-rack still-life, portraits & self-portraits Grove14 pp 738-40, L&L, Franits
Characteristics/Phases: His paintings, etchings & drawings during the 1640s are so Rembrandt-like as to be confusable. They are costumed theatrical & richly worked self-portrait paintings with details indicting wealth & self-esteem, together with signed drawings combining ink, chalks & washes to create a wide range of textural & tonal effects. His foreign trip during 1651-55 was a turning point because henceforth his work was centred on trompe l’oeil & genre painting. His haunting [as in] Interior Viewed through a Doorway/The Slippers, c1567 (Louvre), reflects his new interest in genre & curious perspectives, & so does his striking View down a Corridor, 1662 (Dyrham Park, NT). During final years his output declined along with his health Grove14 pp 738-9
Feature/Innovation/Anticipation: What makes the forgoing looking through views distinctive is the conspicuous absence of human figures. They are genre paintings of everyday life but without life & it is this which makes them somewhat eerie. This effect was to be used repeatedly by Vilhelm Hammertoe well over 300 years later Franits pp 146-7, webimages, KSF p 57, 90-1, 98-9, 103, 106-8, 114-5, 124, 132-3,137
Pupils: Godfried Schalcken, Cormelius Van der Meulen & Arte de Gelder Grove14 p739
For his theoretical writings See Section 4 at Van Hoogstraeten
Vlaminck, Maurice de. See De Vlaminck, Maurice
Volaire. See de volaire
Volpedo. See Da Volpedo
Volterra. See da Volterra
Volterrano. See Il Volterrano
von Carolsfeld. See Schnorr von Carolsfeld
von Kaulbach. See Kaulbach
-von Kobell See Kobell, Wilhelm:
von Kulmbach. See Kulmbach
von Lenbach. See Lenbach
von Lofftz. See Lofftz
von Menzel. See Menzel
von Wrefkin. See Wrefkin
-VAN HUYSUM, Jacobus/Jacob, Justus’ son/Jan’s brother, Netherlands, c1688-1740, Netherlands:
Background: Born Amsterdam Grove15 p45
Career: He took over his father’s studio moved to London in 1721 to work for Horace Walpole & copy paintings at Houghton Hall in Norfolk but was dismissed for intemperate drinking from which he died. He produced most of the numerous illustrations in John Martyn’s Historia Plantarum Rariourm, 1728-38, & all the drawings for Catalogus Plantarum, 1730 Wikip
Oeuvre: Paintings of which the best-known are the Twelve Months of Flowers which show vases of flowers against landscape backgrounds (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) Grove15 p46, Fitzwilliam site
Characteristics: He imitated Jan but his work was less finished & delicately coloured but painterly L&L, Wikip
Pupil: Louis Fabritius Dubourg Wikip
Imitated: Jan L&L
* Jan VAN HUYSUM/HUIJSUM, 1682-1749, Justus’ son/Jacobus’ brother, Netherlands=Amsterdam; Rococo
Background: Born Amsterdam the son of the flower painter Justus Van Huysum, 1659-1716 Grove15p 46, L&L
Training: His father L&L
Influences: Initially Cornelis de Heem & Abraham Mignon for flower paintings Grove 15 p46
Career: He lived in Amsterdam all his life apparently never travelling abroad Grove15 p46
Oeuvre: Flower paintings, fruit still-life, & landscapes Grove15 p46, L&L
Phases/Characteristics: Initially his flower works have a traditional, symmetrical composition as in Flower Still-Life, 1706 (Kunsthalle, Hamburg). Later there are no apparent symmetry & the flowers burgeoning forth as in Flowers in a Vase, 1726 (Wallace Collection). His flower paintings combine abstentious display & precise detailing capturing the tiniest insects & beaded dewdrops. He used a light palette with vivid greens & blues, & replaced dark backgrounds. There were inviting glimpses of landscape with trees & statues & placing the flowers in decorative terracotta vases. His finish was enamel-smooth Grove15 p46, & 11 p228, Rose1969 p183, L&L
Innovation: He painted from nature instead of relying on drawn or painted studies L&L
Status: He was a vastly acclaimed flower painter L&L
Patrons: These included the Ducd’Orleans; Frederick Augustus II of Saxony; William I of Prussia; the king of Poland; Amsterdam merchants; & Horace Walpole Grove15 p47
Grouping: His later unsymmetrical still-life are late Baroque & almost Rococo, & his landscapes are the final phase of Dutch Italianate painting Rose1969 p110, Grove15 p46
Pupil: Margareta Havermann Grove15 p47
Imitators existed throughout the 18th century & into 19th & included Wybrand Hendriks, Cornelis Van Spaendonck, Paul Van Brussel, & Jacobus Linthorst Grove15 p47
– Jan VAN KESSEL II, 1626-79, Jan Brueghel the Elder’s son-in-law, the grandson of Jan (Velvet) Brueghel, & the nephew of David Teniers, Belgium:
Background: He was born at Antwerp, the son of Hieronymus van Kessel II, 1578-1636 or after. There was a growing & systematic interest in all aspects of the natural sciences & in scenes of animals in action Grove17 pp 918-9, Vlieghe p222.
Training: Simon de Vos, 1635, & his uncle Jan Breughel II Grove17 p939
Influences: Daniel Seghers & De Heem for flower & fruit still lifes; Joris Hoofnagle for insects; Roelandt Savery & Frans Snyders for animals; & his grandfather’s analytic portrayal of nature Vlieghe p222, Grove17 p919
Career: In 1645 he was registered with the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. When he died all his possessions were heavily mortgaged because of his debts Grove17 p919
Oeuvre/Verdict: Landscapes, biblical &b mythological works but mainly & most distinctively paintings of flowers, fruit, vegetables, live & dead animals, food, household utensils, weapons, ornamental objects, insects, shells & fish. They are mostly on a small scale in oils on copper or wood & in watercolour. He was more versatile than other family members. Europe is a work that illustrates his versatility, 1664-6 (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) L&L, Grove17 pp 917, 919-20
Characteristics: His paintings of collections of insects were executed in a light & colourful style &frequently have an allegorical content & display a fascination with the bizarre & exotic whereas his flower & fruit works are in rich glowing colours against dark backgrounds Grove17 p920, webimages.
Speciality: The zoologically correct & exquisite depiction of insects & other specimens as in Insects & a Spider, 1660 (Musee des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg ), & Insects, 1661 (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) L&L, Durrant Times4/2/2017
Innovations: He frequently worked from nature as well making use of illustrated scientific texts Grove17 p920
Grouping: He belonged to the category of 17th century Flemings who painted pictures of living animals Vlieghe p222
Collections: The Prado for his zoological works L&L
The Van Kessel Family: Apart from Jan/Johan other members who were painters included Hieronymus Van Kessel II, 1578-1636 or later, who painted portraits; & Jan Van Kessel III, 1654-1708, who also painted portraits Grove17 pp 917-8
– Jan/Johan VAN KESSEL, 1641-80, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Amsterdam & was apparently unrelated to the Belgian family Grove17 pp 917,920
Training: Jacob Van Ruisdael L&L
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Townscapes & panoramic views; watermills & village scenes where he imitated his friend Hobbema; wooded landscapes where he imitated Jan Wijnants; winter scenes where he imitated Jan Van de Cappelle; & waterfalls where he imitated Van Everdingen Grove17 p920
Feature: Many of his works were once attributed to other artists, an authentic signature often being covered with a better-known name Grove17 p920
*VAN LAER/IL BAMBACCIO, Pieter, c1592-1642?, Netherlands:
.. VAN LEEMPUTTEN, Frans, 1850-1914, Belgium; Rural Naturalism:
Background: Born Werchter, the son of a former farmer & picture restorer Wikip
Training: Evening classes at the Antwerp Academy & the Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels,1865-73 Wikip
Influences: The naturalist Constantin Meunier, Paul Gabriel, Millet & Hendrik Conscience’s novels featuring the Campine peasantry Weisburg1992 p 226, Wikip
Career: The family moved to Brussels in 1852, in 1855 briefly to Antwerp, & back to Brussels in 1858 where he worked in the restoration shop, etc. He joined L’Essor, a realist grouping & from 1874 submitted work to the Antwerp Salon. In 1892 he became professor at the Antwerp Academy Wikip
Oeuvre: Subject paintings, village & animal scenes, & landscapes often with figures in oils & watercolour Wikip, webimages
Speciality: Paintings of the Campine & Brabant regions Wikip
Characteristics: Initially his palette was dull but it gradually lightened Wikip
Grouping: He was a Realist along with other Belgium painters, such as Theodoor Veastraete, who sought simplicity & naturalness in the pre-industrial countryside Wikip
**Lucas VAN LEYDEN, c1489-1533, Netherlands:
..VAN LINT, Pieter, 1609-90, Belgium; Baroque Classical
Background: He was born in Antwerp Grove19 p430
Training: Artus Wolfforth Vlieghe p87
Influences: Rubens, Marten de Vos & the Francken brothers Wikip
Career: He became a master in the Guild of St Luke, 1633, & during 1633-40 was in Rome working for Cibo family & Cardinal Ginnasio Grove19 p430, Vlieghe p87
Oeuvre: Religious works, history paintings, genre, tapestry design & portraits Grove 19p430, Wikip
Characteristics/Phases: In Rome he produced both classical & Baroque work, including poignant Bambiesque street scenes . After his return he painted in a rather stiff classicist style as in The Marriage of the Virgin, 1640 (Antwerp Cathedral) but he mainly produced smallish devotional works for the Spanish & south American markets Vlieghe p87-8, Grove19 p430
**VAN LOO/VANLOO, Carle/Charles-Andre, Louis Abraham’s son & Jean-Baptiste’s brother, 1705-65:
Background: He was born at Nice Grove19 p645
Training: Jean Baptiste & Benedetto Lutti in Rome Grove19 p645
Influences: Paacido Costanzi, Raphael & Carlo Maratti Grove19 p 646
Career: He joined his brother in Turin, 1712; they moved to Rome, 1714; & then to Paris, 1719. Here he assisted his brother, studied at the Academie Royale, & won the Prix de Rome & was ultimately able to go to Rome accompanied by his nephews Louis-Michel & Francois, & his friend Boucher. He went to Turin & painted for Charles-Emanuel III, Duke of Savoy & King of Sardinia. In 1733 he went to France, was elected to the Academy, & painted a series works for the extended court & Parisian high society. He received prestigious appointments & became Premier Peintre du Roi, 1762, & Director of the Academy, 1763 Grove19 pp 645-6
Oeuvre: Religious & mythological works in fresco & oils; portraits Grove 19 p646-7
Characteristics/Phases: His two distinctive styles were either sweet, refined & Raphael-like together with Carlo Maratti-like classicism or, alternatively, he had & a more dynamic, fluid manner reminiscent of Placido Costanzi. The Marriage of the Virgin, 1730 (Musee des Beaux-Art, Nice) was Raphaelesque, & Aeneas & Anchises, 1729 (Louvre) was fluid-dynamic. His work was drier & more academic than Boucher’s Rococo, though he did employ a sensuous Rococo-like style which rivalled that of Boucher. His most popular paintings were turquoise, genre scenes of those in Turkish or exotic dress as in Sultan giving a Concert to His Mistress, c1737 (Wallace Collection). Initially in the 1630s when he was working with Boucher & Natoire on the Hotel de Soubise his style was light, decorative & in the Rococo manner, but he realised that he needed to simplify & elevate his style so that it was better suited for the large official & religious commissions he wanted to receive. In a late calm & eloquent cycle of religious paintings, the Life of St Augustine, 1746-55 (Notre Dame des Vitoires, Paris) he approached Neo-Classicism Brigstocke, Grove19 p646, Wakefield pp101-2.
Status/Reception: He was around 1750 France’s foremost history painter & he produced grand, monumental religious works, & his mythological piece for the Academy, Diana & Endymion, 1731, was outstanding. The reception piece for the His works were acclaimed at the Salon & he was regarded as an artistic colossus Brigstocke, Grove 19 p646, T&C p186.
Repute: At the height of the Davidian reaction against Rococo his Van Loo was roundly condemned & only in the late 20th century did re-evaluation begin Grove19 pp 646-7.
Pupils: Deshay, Doyen, Louis Lagrenee, Fragonard, etc Brigstocke
Son: (Jules) Cesar (Denis), 1743-1821, who was a landscape painter & the last member of the dynasty NG of Art website
-VAN LOO, Charles-Amedee Philippe, 1715-95, Jean-Baptiste’s son, France; Rococo
Background: He was born in Paris Grove19 p649
Training: His father & at the Academie Royale, Paris Career: In 1738 he won the Prix de Rome, spent three & a half years in Italy & two & a half with his father at Aix-en-Provence, returned to Paris in 1745, & was elected to the Academy in 1747. He became court painter to Frederick the Great & was in Berlin during 1748-59 & 1763-9. In 1770 he became a professor at the Academy p649
Oeuvre: Subject paintings, mythologies & religious works including ceiling paintings, portraits & tapestry design Grove19 p649
Characteristics/Verdict: His subject paintings are often crowded with figures in stock, somewhat artificial poses & his religious paintings are pedestrian. His later work was inferior webimages Grove19 p649
Abraham/Louis-Abraham VAN LOO, Jacob’s son & father of Jean-Baptiste & Charles-Andre/Cale, 1653-1712, France (Netherlands); Baroque:
Background: Born Amsterdam Wikip
Training: At the Academie Royale
Career: He became a French citizen, 1667; was converted to Catholicism, 1681; probably travelled in Italy; moved from Toulon to Aix-en-Provence, 1683; retuned to Toulon around 1686; lived in Majorca, 1695-8; & in 1699 settled in Nice Wikip
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Mostly religious works in oil & fresco, together with portraits. His works appear to be of lively, animated type as in The Assumption of the Virgin (Chapelle du Saint-Sepulare des Penitents Blues, Nice) Wikip, webimages
Grouping: Baroque Mannerism Wikip
-Jacob VAN LOO, c1615-70, Louis Abraham’s father, Netherlands= Amsterdam: Baroque Classical:
Background: He was born at Sluis near Bruges, the son of the painter Jan Van Loo. Increasingly wealthy & sophisticated buyers wanted more sophisticated works Grove19 p644. Franits p176
Training: His father Grove19 p644
Influences: Thomas de Keyser, Jacob Backer & Jordaens Grove19 p644
Career: From 1642 he lived in Amsterdam but charged with manslaughter in 1660 he fled to Paris & was received into the Academie Royal,1663 Grove19 p644
Oeuvre: Aristocratic genre & small-scale biblical & mythological pictures, together with portraits which included groups of regents L&L, Grove19 p644
Phases: In his early work the Flemish Baroque manner is toned down Grove19 p644
Characteristics : His genres, many of which were produced around 1650, often focus on figures enveloped in subtle shadows, displaying the exquisite textures of their clothing, & carefully & revealingly depicting their relationships, as in Wooing, c1650 (Mauritius, The Hague); & in Brothel Scene, c1650 (Private), where the prostitution is of a refined type. His biblical & mythological paintings were often wonderfully sensual, witness Susanna & the Elders (Glasgow Art Gallery & Museum) Franits pp 176-7. Haak p 488
Innovation/Influence: During the 1650s he produced some of the earliest conversation pieces: an inspiration for Vermeer Grove19 p644
Status: During the 1650s he one of the most important Amsterdam painters along with Rembrandt, Bartholomeus Văn Der Helst, Willem Kalf & Ferdinand Bol Grove19 p644
Grouping: Dutch Classicist MB
-Jean-Baptiste VAN LOO, Louis Abraham’s son and father of Louis Michel, 1684-1745; Rococo
Background: Born Aix-en-Provence Grove19 p645
Training: With his father & under Benedetto Lutti in Rome, 1714 Grove 19 p645
Career: During 1712-9 he worked as court painter in Turin. Around 1719 he moved to Paris, was elected into Academie Royale, 1731, & painted pictures for churches, etc. He moved to London, 1737. Due to health problems he returned to France in 1742 Grove 19 p645, L&L
Oeuvre: Religious works, mythological paintings, & portraits Grove19 p645
Phases/Patronage: In London he abandoned other work for portraiture. He secured the patronage of Sir Robert Walpole, other leading Whigs & Frederick, Prince of Wales, & was deluged with work Grove19 p645
Characteristics: He had a fleshy style using skilled brushwork & painted portraits of a flattering courtly type. His British portraits are however more restrained Grove19 p645, webimages
-Louis Abraham VAN LOO, Jacob’s son & father of Jean-Baptiste & Cale, -1712:
-Louis Michel VAN LOO, Jean-Baptiste’s son, 1707-71:
Background: Born Toulon Grove19 p647
Training: With his father in Turin & Rome & courses at the Academie Royale, Paris Grove19 p647
Career: He returned to Rome in 1728 with his brother Francois & his uncle Carle, was elected to the Academy & in 1735 became an assistant teacher. Between 1737 & 1752 he was court painter in Madrid & then returned to Paris. He painted every member of the French royal family, 1760-70 Grove19 pp 647-8
Oeuvre: Court & private portraits, mythological works Grove19 p647
Characteristics: His works is highly varied, skilfully executed & often spirited & sophisticated. This is true not only to his studies of character such as that of Diderot, 1767 (Louvre) but also of much of his court portraiture, e.g., the Family of Philip V, 1743 (Prado) Brigstocke, L&L, Grove19 p649, webimages
Verdict: In purely painterly terms he was perhaps the best artist in the family Brigstocke
Innovation: He was instrumental in the foundation of the Spanish Academy of San Fernando, 1752 L&L
Circle: Boucher Grove19 p647
Influenced: Goya Grove 19 p649
*VAN MANDER, Karel, 1548-1606, Belgium; Mannerism Movement
Career: He spent 1573-7 in Italy then in 1583 he fled his native land for Haarlem. Mander became Goltzius’ friend and associate and founded the Haarlem Academy with him & van Haarlem L&L, OxDicArt
Oeuvre: Paintings including rustic genre L&L
First: Extensive work on major North European artists, the Het Schilderboek, 1604. He also wrote The Fundamentals of the Noble & Liberal Art of Painting in the form of a long poem L&L
Innovations: Along with van Haarlem and Goltzius he was one of the originators of Haarlem Mannerism L&L
Influences: Spranger through engravings NGUtrecht p21
..VAN MEEGEREN, Han, 1889-1947, The Netherlands:`
Background: He grew up in provincial Daventer, the son of a stern Catholic schoolmaster who strictly forbade his artistic development & often forced him to write hundreds of times that he knew & was capable of nothing. Art dealers were predisposed to accept a painting as being a Vermeer because of the desirability of finding one & art historians theorised that as he had painted one biblical scene in his youth there might be others Lopez pp 9, 25, 52-3, Wikip. [To produce a convincing fake pastiche -an original painting in the style of another artist- a fraudster needed to be able to show that the work has been authenticated by recognised experts] & could pass the alcohol test. In middle of the 19th art restorers discovered that highly concentrated alcohol could safely be used to remove old, discoloured varnish but that if it was used on oil paint that had not hardened over a long period the paintwork would dissolve. Hence there was now a simple test to discover whether an oil painting could be genuine Lopez p33.
Training: Architecture at Delf Technical University where he also received drawing & painting lessons Lopez pp25-6, Wikip
Career, Phase 1. He married his Protestant girl-friend after she became pregnant, his father having insisted that children be raised as Catholics. In 1915 he gave up his job as a drawing instructor & the family moved to The Hague to pursue an artistic career. He became a sought-after society portraitist, had expensive tastes, became disgruntled with his stay-at-home wife, took a mistress, was divorced, re-married & turned to fake pastiche, apparently beginning with Frans Hals, in order to help finance his immoderate lifestyle. During the 1920s faking was a side line as he was a successful portraitist closely connected to the patrician Liberal State Party. Although his portraits lacked emotional depth, they do wonderfully convey the dignity & grace of the Dutch upper class. However, his attempt to produce narrative biblical scenes under his own name was not a success Lopez pp 26-30, 41-2,72, 79-85.
Career, Phase 2. Around 1926 he appears to have painted the Lace Maker, a pastiche in the style of Vermeer but it was not until the Supper at Emmaus, 1936-7, that he produced the first of his great biblical fakes in the style of Vermeer, although it is notable that Christ’s facial features are Durer-like Lopez pp 5, 7, 122-3. In 1932, after an acrimonious dispute within the Hague Kunstkring, a club for the creative elite of which he had long been a member, he & his second wife, had decamped to the French Riviera Lopez 28 pp 28, 97-9. Here, he not only produced pastiche paintings in the style of Vermeer & other artists but also solved the problem of how to avoid the alcohol test Wikip
Career: Phase 3: Van Meegeren returned to the Netherlands in 1939, continued to paint religious works in the manner of Vermeer, sold Christ & the Adulteress painted around 1943, to Hermann Goering, was charged with selling a national treasure to the Germans. He confessed to having sold fraud works, painted a pastiche in picture while under house arrest to show that he was able to paint a Vermeer look-alike, was nevertheless charged with fraud, & died in prison. By then he had by duping Goering become a national hero. A newspaper poll in 1947 revealed that he was the second most popular man in the country Wikip, Dutton p 178, Lopez pp 208, 210, 214.
Authentication: The reigning artist historian for Dutch painting the was Professor Abraham Bredies who not only regarded Meegeren’s Christ & the Disciples at Emmaus as every inch a Vermeer but also drew attention to its splendid luminous effect, magnificent harmonious colours, & unique expressive quality. Dissent appears to have been restricted to the local agent for the great dealer Joseph Duveen who privately opined that it was a rotten fake, after which the firm refrained from buying the work. Dirk Hannema, director of the Rotterdam’s Boijman’s Museum, along with others, went on believing that the best of the supposed biblical Vermeer’s was genuine long after Van Meegeren’s confession Dutton p177, 179, Lopez pp 137-8, 233-4.
The Alcohol Test: Forgers naturally sought to discover how this difficulty could be overcome. One such was Theo Van Wyngarden, an industrious & clever housepainter & odd job man who taught himself how to paint & enhanced old paintings. He & Megerian teamed up around 1920. Working by trial & error, Theo had already discovered a way around the alcohol test, a method for combining artists’ pigments that dried quickly to produce an alcohol-resistant substance which had the smooth texture of oil paint. However, his gelatine-glue method turned many pigments an unpleasant grey Lopez pp 33-5, 39. In the Riviera Megerian hit upon Bakelite, a forerunner of plastic, & started a coating his oil painting with a film of the substance which made the alcohol test ineffective. The film led to a cold & rigid appearance, as in his Gentlemen & Lady at the Spinet, 1932, but in the Riviera, he finally succeeded in producing the soft & luminous effect that one would expect in a real Vermeer as in his masterpiece The Supper at Emmaus, 1936-7, going on to fake a string of Vermeer’s on religious themes Lopez pp 107-9, 117-9, 122.
Characteristics/Verdict: His best society portraits were stunningly good & received rave reviews Lopez pp 44. Before it was known to be a fake, his best religious work, The Supper at Emmaus, was, as we have seen, judged in some respects to outshine Vermeer. However, any comparison between the two artists is difficult if only because Van Meegeren’s were so different: they were in some ways but not in others very unusual Vermeers. The Supper featured Vermeer’s crisp, cool use of ultramarine blue together with his highlighting, & it appropriated poses & some facial characteristics which he had used. However other characteristics –Christ’s rectangular face, huge nose, exaggerated lips & lank hair- echo Durer’s Self-Portrait at the Age of Twenty-Eight Lopez p119, 121-5. [It must therefore be concluded, however paradoxical it may seem, that Van Meegeren did not succeed in his aim of producing a pastiche Vermeer but instead produced an independent work. Hence his treatment in this Section as an artist in his own right.]
Phases: After the Supper Van Meegeren’s fake work began to deteriorate & is said to have ended by looking like mediocre German Expressionism. This has been attributed to alcoholism but there was no decline in his signed paintings Lopez p170, Dutton p179.
Politics: That Van Meegeren drew upon Durer is probably explained by his political affiliation to Nazi Germany. Shortly before beginning the Supper, he had made an extended trip to Berlin & attended the 1936 Olympic Games. [As staged by Hitler, Albert Speer Leni Riefenstahl these were intended to promote the German sense of national identity] or Volksgeist Lopez p125. During the occupation Van Meegren collaborated with the Germans but did not join the Nazi party & avoided making his sympathies clear to those who might take offence. He gave money to Nazi causes, took part in Nazi-sponsored art exhibitions, courted Ed Gerdes who was the occupation government’s art tsar. In return he received commissions & was accorded the special privilege of being able to exhibit in Germany. In 1942 he sent a book of his drawings to Hitler with the handwritten inscription “To my beloved Fuhrer in grateful tribute” Lopez pp 19, 146-8, 244-5.
Epilogue: Van Meegeren’s fakes have given rise to an interesting debate about why & whether pictures once admired should now be condemned See Fakes, Forgeries. Copies & Pastiche in Section 7.
– Michiel VAN MIEREVELD/MIREVELT, 1567-1641, Netherlands=Delft:
-Frans VAN MIERIS, 1635-81 the Elder, father of Jan & Willem. Netherlands=Leiden:
Background: He came from a family of gold & silversmiths TurnerRtoV p215
Training: c1649-54 Abraham Toorenvliet, a drawing master & glass engraver; van den Temple, a portrait & history painter); & Dou, being his best student TurnerRtoV p215, L&L. He adopted Dou’s motif of a scene viewed through an arched window Haak p432
Influences: Jan Steen Haak pp 433
Career: In 1658 he entered the Leiden Guild of S. Luke, although his earliest work is dated 1657 TurnerRtoV p215. He had a prosperous career executing titillating paintings & this despite the increasing fashion after 1650 for reticence Franits pp 107, 124.
Oeuvre: Genre scenes but also allegorical & Arcadian subjects Haak p432
Phases/Characteristics: His early works were Dou-like works but with a more powerful use of light & with lively reflections. They contrasted with Dou’s dark interiors. Some of his best work was produced around 1657-65 with brushstrokes that were almost invisible (unlike Dou’s), interiors filled with precisely defining light, & often an emphatically horizontal come vertical structure. His figures were prosperous & sophisticated in elegant surroundings. During the late 1660s his colours became darker & his figures more stylised. In the 1670s enamel-like smoothness & harsh, restless reflections were apparently his objective. His paintings were often slightly erotic & depicted amorous situations TurnerRtoV pp 215-7
Status: He was the most important Leiden Fine Painter & raised genre to an extraordinary level of technical refinement TurnerRtoV p215, Franits pp 124-5
Patrons: His work, which commanded high prices, was bought by the Dutch elite, & also by Cosimo III de Medici, & Archduke Leopold of Vienna Franits p125
Verdict: Although he has been described as a competent craftsman, he has been praised for matchless splendour & consummate illusionism Price p222, Franits p125.
Friends: Jan Steen Haak p433
Influence: His sons & grandson patterned their work wholly on his but never matched him; & the Leiden school was deeply indebted to him Haak p435
Repute: His exceptional status fell off in the late 19th century TurnerRtoV p217
-Frans VAN MIERIS, the Younger, 1689-1763, Willem’s son, Netherlands=Leiden:
Oeuvre: Small genre paintings L&L
Verdict: He became a good painter TurnerRtoV p214
-Jan VAN MIERIS, 1660-90, Frans’ son & Willem’s brother, Netherlands=Leiden:
Training: His father TurnerRtoV p214
Oeuvre: Small genres L&L
Characteristics: His style resembles that of his father’s later work TurnerRtoV p214
Verdict: He was talented as his few surviving works show TurnerRtoV p214
–Willem VAN MIERIS, 1662-1747, Frans’ son, Jan’s brother, & Frans the Younger’s father Netherlands=Leiden:
Training: His father TurnerRtoV p214
Influences: His father, Dou & other Fijnschilders of the previous generation, though his work also reflects the new classicising orientation Franits p225.
Career: He was tremendously successful until the 1720s when there was some decline in the quality of his work, hastened by failing eyesight in the 1730s Franits p230
Oeuvre: It was prolific but most of his works were fairly conventional genre Franits p225
Verdict: He was a competent craftsman Price p222
Patrons: They included many prominent domestic & foreign collectors, particularly Pieter de la Courtvan der Voort, an immensely wealthy textile manufacturer in Leiden Franits p225
Son: Frans Van Mieris the Younger, 1689-1763, became a good painter of small genre works TurnerRtoV p214, L&L
..VANNICOLA, 1859-1923, Italy:
-VAN NOORT, Adam, 1562-1641, Belgium:
Oeuvre: History paintings & portraits, though none are known L&L
Phases/Characteristics: After an initial Floris-like period, he seems to have evolved from & Mannerist phase into a form of classicism. His late brushwork is more spirited, as influenced by Jordaens L&L
Grouping: He was one of the remarkable Antwerp painters who blended pre-Rubensian style in which trained & Baroque monumentality Vlieghe pp 42-3
Pupil: Rubens, 1592-6, & Jacob Jordaens his future father-in-law L&L
-VAN OOSTERWYCK, Maria, 1630-93, Netherlands:
-VAN OOSTSANEN, Jacob Cornelisz, 1470-1533, Netherlands:
-VAN ORLEY, Bernard/Barend, c1491-1541, Belgium=Brussels:
Training: His father Valentine L&L
Influences: Italian art from engravings & Raphael’s cartoons & later Gossart L&L
Career: From 1518 he was a court artist to Margaret of Austria & the to her successor Mary of Hungary L&L
Oeuvre: Portraits, religious subjects & the design of stained glass & tapestries OxDicArt
Characteristics: He never convincingly fused Netherlandish naturalism & Italian idealisation L&L
Status: He was the leading artist of his day in Brussels OxDicArt
Status: Flemish Mannerism of which he was a major exponent L&L
Pupil: Pieter Coecke van Aelst L&L
-Georgius VAN OS, 1782-1861, Jan’s son/Maria’s sister/ Pieter Geradus’ brother, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in The Hague Grove23 p590
Training: With his father Grove23 p590
Influences: The still-lifes of Jan van Huysum Grove23 p590
Career: In 1812 he received a gold medal at the Salon in Paris where he was employed at the Sevres porcelain factory. He mainly remained in France until 1817, then moved between Amsterdam & The Hague, & in 1822 settled in Paris but spent considerable periods in Haarlem Grove23 p590
Oeuvre: Flower & fruit pieces & also landscape & hunting paintings & a few portraits Grove23 p590
Characteristics: His paintings have a vase on a marble plinth against a pale yellow-green background with the flowers in intense, darker colours Grove23 p590.
Innovation: The individuality of his romantically picturesque still-life & hunting scenes as in Still-Life with Flowers, c1835 (Rijksmuseum) Grove23 p590
-Jan VAN OS, 1744-1808, Georgius/Maria/Pieter Geradus’s father, Netherlands:
Background: Middleharnis Grove23 p588
Career: He moved to The Hague early on & in 1775 married the deaf-mute pen portraitist Susanna de La Croix, daughter of the French portraitist, Pierre Frederic Grove23 p588
Oeuvre: Oils, watercolours, drawings & poetry Grove23 p588
Phases/Characteristics: He painted seascapes throughout his career & later still-lifes of fruit & flower still-lifes. These are asymmetric, set on a marble edge, often with a terracotta vase against a pale green landscape background Grove23 p588
Repute: His Still-lifes were valued highly in France, Germany, & England where he exhibited at the Society of Arts, 1773-91 Grove33 p588
-Maria VAN OS, 1789-1862, Jan’s daughter & Georgius/ Pieter Geradus’ brother, Netherlands:
Background: Born in The Hague Grove23 p588
Training: Her parents Wikip
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Paintings of fruits & flowers centred on tables in soft colours Grove23 p588, webimages but only a few.
-Pieter Frederik VAN OS, 1808-1860, Pieter Geradus’ son, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Amsterdam Grove23 p588
Training: At the Royal Academy in Amsterdam Wikip
Career: He travelled through Belgium & Germany & settled in Haarlem, 1839 Wikip
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Paintings of landscape & genre scenes with horses, cattle & dogs Grove23 p588, Mutual Art site .
Characteristics: His work is of an extremely tranquil type in harmonious colour Webimages & Mutual Art site
Pupils: Anton Mauve & Leonarder de Haas Wikip
Pieter Geradus VAN OS, 1776-1839, Jan’s son, brother of Georgius/Maria, Pieter Frederik’s father. Netherlands:
Background: He was born at The Hague Grove23 p588
Training: with his father & at the Tekenakademie Grove23 p588.
Career: After training he went to Amsterdam where he painted rather mediocre portrait miniatures & gave drawing lessons. Around 1805 he turned to landscapes with cattle based on the 17th Dutch masters. From around 1910 to 1819 he was in The Hague. Here he produced his most original work & was involved as a captain in the defence of Naarden against the French, 1813-4. He then painted ten carefully observed narrative paintings of undramatic siege warfare. In 1816 he returned to cattle landscapes, moved to Hilversum in 1819, painted animals for landscapes by other artists, moved to The Hague in 1830 Grove23 p590
Oeuvre: Paintings & etchings Grove23 p388
Characteristics/Verdict: His Hilversum landscapes were technically proficient whereas his Hague compositions from 1830 were somewhat mechanical & their execution uninspired Grove23 p589-90
-Adriaen VAN OSTADE, 1610-85, Isaack’s brother, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Background: He was born at Haarlem & was the son of a weaver SuttonP p281.
Training: Hals OxDicArt
Influences: Brouwer in his early work; Rembrandt Franits p42, L&L
Career: He enrolled in the Guild of St Luke around 1634. In 1657 he was re-married to a woman from a wealthy Catholic family & may have converted about that time. He was elected to positions in the painter’s guild in 1647 & 1661-2 Franits p41, L&L, SuttonP p281
Oeuvre: He produced over 800 known paintings primarily genre but also a few portraits, history paintings & landscapes SuttonP p282, L&L, Haak pp 238-9
Speciality: Peasant scenes L&L
Phases/Characteristics: His earlier work consists of lively scenes of caricatured peasants carousing & brawling in crowded taverns & hovels. He uses brown tones accented with red, violet & grey, & then with sharply contrasting light & shadow. His Peasants Drinking & Making Merry in a Barn, c1635, has a Brouwer–like vulgarity but it lacks his subtle gestures & expressions. By 1650 the subjects were far more respectable. In his Peasants in an Inn, 1662, rowdy dissipation has been replaced by amicable conviviality & in this painting & Peasant Family in a Cottage, 1661, the palette is considerably cooler. Bright pastel blues have been replaced by one that is almost slate grey, the paintwork is slightly smoother & tighter, & there is more detailing L&L, OxDicArt, Franitsp pp 42, 135-7, SuttonP p284
Innovation: Ostade with his paintings of parental devotion in peasant households pioneered the intimate, emotionally moving scenes that are associated with de Hooch, Micolaes Maes & others who painted middle-class families SuttonP pp 285, 289
Grouping/Status: Van Ostade’s later work with its new emphasis on well behaved peasants & yokels that appeared more human was part of a general transformation in Dutch genre painting Franits pp 137-9, See Humanisation of Art in Section7. His later work displays an urge to perfection which may ultimately have crippled Dutch painting but his Fishwife, 1672, was a piece of brilliant & illusionism 1661 Haak p388, SuttonpP p287.
Patronage: Princely collectors L&L
Pupils: Cornelis Bega, Cornelis Dusart, Michiel van Musscher & probably Jan Steen SuttonP p282, L&L
-Isaack VAN OSTADE, 1621-49, Adriaen’s brother, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Background: He was born Haarlem SuttonP p290
Training: His brother L&L
Career: He entered the Haarlem painter’s guild in 1643 SuttonP p290
Speciality: Genre scenes of peasant life SuttonP p290
Phases: His early peasant interiors closely resemble Adriaen’s but his mature scenes of travellers resting, taking refreshment & feeding horses outside a rustic hostelry were more original. So were his paintings of lively traffic & a frozen river. His winters capes reveal his acute observation & ability to portray magnificent monochrome skies, damp chilly atmosphere & pale, golden sunlight. SuttonP pp 190-1
Characteristics: His work is painted with a more brilliant & varied touch than Adriaen’s, using a brighter, richer palette. The mood is more idyllic SuttonP pp 190-1
Innovation: Paintings featuring musicians & tradesmen were commonplace but the Ostades depiction of leisurely conversation between locals & a passing traveller were new SuttonP p191.
..VAN PITLOO, Antonio, 1790-1837, Italy (Netherlands):
Background: He was born in Arnheim Norman1977
Training: In 1808 he was in Paris & in 1811 in Rome Norman1977
Career: In 1814 he moved to Naples & around 1816 became professor of landscape at the Naples Academy Norman1977
Oeuvre: Landscapes Norman1977
Phases: From c1825 he turned increasingly to studies from nature under the influence of visiting foreigners: Turner, Bonnington & Corot Norman1977
Characteristics: Elements of the Dutch 17th century tradition combined with those of the 18th century Venetian view painters, i.e., bright free brushwork Norman1977
Innovations: He founded the Possillipo School of landscape Norman1977
-VAN POELENBURGH, Cornelius, c1586-1667, Netherlands; Baroque Classical
*VAN REYMERSWAELE, Marinus, ac1509-1567:
*VAN RUISDAEL, Jacob, c1628-82, nephew of Van Ruysdael, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Haarlem & his father, Isaak, was a frame maker, picture dealer & painter TurnerRtoV p305
Training: Probably his father or uncle TurnerRtoV p305
Influences: Vroom TurnerRtoV p306. Van Ruysdael, although his use of paint was always denser & more opaque, more vigorous local colour, more energetic composition); around1660 Everdingen’s Scandinavian themes L&L
Career: 1646 His earliest known paintings, which are already mature & distinctive, date from 1646 & in 1648 he entered the Guild of St Luke OxDicArt, TurnerRtoV p306. During the early 1650s left Haarlem for Dutch-Germany border region with his friend Berchem; c1656 settled Amsterdam L&L, OxDicArt
Oeuvre: It was prolific with about 700 paintings, mostly landscapes, beach & seascapes, & a few late townscapes. There are also 100 drawings TurnerRtoV pp 305-310, OxDicArt
Speciality: Restless skies with, greyish blue with dark, gathering clouds Fuchs p163
Phases/Characteristics: During the early 1650s his paintings became more powerful with livelier forms, fresher colours & a more heoic feel. He relied less on diagonals to suggest depth with emphasis on mass, contrast between light & shade, & large trees. In the second half of the decade Ruisdael he began painting waterfalls, winter scenes, beach views & seascapes. His pictures became less dramatic, more serene & his treatment of space more open. Later he switched to a horizontal format, began to depict cornfields, & now concentrated on sombre winter weather. During the late 1660s he placed large sculptural forms viewed from close up in open landscapes. The 1670s saw a series of panoramic views of Haarlem know as the Haarlempjes. They are painted with a delicate touch with their atmosphere created by bright coloured light blue, grass green & brick red. In his last years there was a decline in quality with a less sensitive use of colour, more decorative forms & looser composition TurnerRtoV p307-9 . His paintings reveal man’s insignificance beside nature OxDicArt
Innovations: He abandoned tonal landscape with its subtle atmospheric effects for strong forms, dense colours, & vigorous & impasto brushwork OxDicArt. His light has a new character. It is no longer static & saturating but is in continual movement. Clouds pile up in the sky & shadows sail across the plain. When he is at his best nature has a truly Wordsworthian force Clark1949 p64
Status: He was the foremost exponent of the Classical phase of Dutch landscape & the principal Dutch landscapist of the second half of the 17th century L&L, TurnerRtoV p305
Circle: His colleagues at the Guild of St Luke included the landscapists Vroom, Molijn, & Everdingen TurnerRtoV p306
Personal: He was a grave, lonely man evidently prone to fits of depression in which he worked without a spark of feeling Clark1949 p64
Interpretation: Critics like Fromentin in the 19th century regarded his landscapes as realistic & celebratory depictions of Dutch landscape but during the 20th century scholars suggested they had an underlying moralising & pietistic meaning. However, Slive & others regard these claims as exaggerated TurnerRtoV p311
Pupil: Hobbema OxDicArt
Collections: National Gallery
-Jacob Solomonsz VAN RUYSDAEL, c1629-81, Soloman’s son, Netherlands
*Soloman VAN RUYSDAEL, c1602-70, Jacob’s father & uncle of Van Ruisdael, Netherlands:
-VAN RYSSELBERGHE, Theo, 1862-1926, Belgium:
Background: He was born in Ghent Norman1977
Training: Ghent Academy & at the Brussels Academy under Portaels Norman1977
Career: In 1888 he was a founder member of Les Vingt & in 1897 moved to Paris where he joined the Symbolist movement L&L
Oeuvre: It included notable portraits Norman1977
Speciality: Women bathing in the sea Norman1977
Characteristics: In 1886-7 he adopted pointillism. During his later years he adopted an Impressionist technique L&L Norman1977
Friends: Seurat & Signac Norman1977
-VAN SCHRIECK, Otto Marseus, c1619-78, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Nijmegen. The depiction of reptiles & insects in natural surroundings was a speciality of Amsterdam artists Grove28 p168, Haak p498
Career: He went to Rome & Florence with Matthias Withoos & Willem van Aelst. He joined the Schildersbent & Ferdinando II de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, was a patron. Around 1657 he returned to Amsterdam with van Aelst Grove28 pp168-9.
Speciality: Accurate depictions of insects, reptiles & amphibians interacting in a pleasant or hostile manner with a small area of forest floor or dunes for background. This contains moss, grass, herbs & other flora. His paintings are enchanting & mysterious with the animals & plants seemingly caught in a sudden ray of sunshine in a dark forest Grove28 p169
Verdict/Status: He was the most original of those who painted works of this type Haak p498
Gossip: He ferreted about & was known as Sniffer Haak p498
Followers: Melchoir d’Hondecoeter, Rachel, Ruysch, Elias van den Broeck etc Haak p498
**VAN SCOREL, Jan, 1495-1562, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in the village of Schoorel near Alkmaar & was a priest’s son Friedlaender2 p128, L&L
Training: Briefly with Gossart briefly at Utrecht OxDicArt
Influences: His Italian contemporaries whom, unlike many Dutch artists, he understood: Raphael, Michelangelo, Giorgione, Vechio OxDicArt
Oeuvre: Religious works & portraits Friedlaender2 pp 130-33
Career: In 1519 he went to Germany, Switzerland, Venice, Cyprus, Crete, Jerusalem & Rome;. During 1524 he went back to Utrecht, where he mainly stayed & became a cannon OxDicArt, L&L
Characteristics/Verdict: His work unique blend of north European & Italian models & he had a Dutch interest in atmospheric effects & the play of light & shadow L&L, OxDic Art. Shadows are deep & wide, he used misty backgrounds, soft colour that was broadly applied & he was not concerned with local colour. He freed the body from many-layered costumes using flowing drapery moulded on the human form, he conceived the picture as a whole concentrating on correct proportions & bodily movements, not details which he treated perfunctorily. His work in contrast to that of Gossart is is hasty, fluent & dynamic. Despite their merits his works lack religious feeling: they are history pieces in the grand manner Friedlaender2 pp 130–1 . He was more orthodox & less fluent than Van Leyden Fuchs p33
Aim: A determination to make radical changes with a thirst for innovation Friedlaender2 p130
Workshop: It appears to have been large Friedlander2 pp 131-2
Innovations: He was the first to bring Italy Renaissance ideals to the Netherlands, & initiated Dutch group portraiture OxDicArt
Gossip: He had a mistress who was another cannon’s sister, & six children L&L
Legacy/Pupils: This was powerful throughout Holland & particularly in Amsterdam as shown by the portraits of Dirk Jacobs & Anthony Mor & the work of Marten von Heemskerck. The two latter were pupils. His chiaroscuro was the germ of that of Rembrandt Friedlaender2 pp 130, 134
-VAN SOMER, Paul, c1577-1621
Background: He was born in Antwerp. He arrived in England when Henry Prince of Wales & his mother Anne of Denmark were transforming artistic taste & Anne became his most important patron Grove29 p57
Career: He worked un Amsterdam (1604), Leyden (1612), The Hague (1615); & in 1616 settled England L&L
Innovations: He modified the schematic England costume piece into grander more lifelike Continental portraits but his work was evolutionary rather than revolutionary L&L, Grove29 p57
– Harmen VAN STEENWIJCK, 1612-active 1664, Pieter’s brother (confusable with Hendrick Van Steenwyck, father & son) Netherlands=Leiden:
Background: Born Delft Haak p533
Training: Bailly in Leiden, 1628-33 Haak p266
Oeuvre: Still-life mostly of a vanitas nature but also fish & game Haak p266
Characteristics: Objects symbolise transience & human vanity. His palette is colourful & rather pastel. Light effects are vigourous & the backgrounds nearly always have distinct bands of light & dark. The well-painted objects are usually on a tabletop or stone slab as in Vanitas Still Life (Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden). Like other still-life of the period, it has an aesthetic quality & appeal L&L, Fuchs pp 114, 117
Status: He was the greatest Dutch Vanitas painter L&L
Brother: Pieter, c1615-after 1654, also specialised in vanitas still-life L&L
-Hendrick VAN STEENWYCK/STEENWIJCK, the Elder -c1603, Belgium (Netherlands):
Background: He was born Ovgerijssel in the Netherlands Grove29 p592
Training: Hans Vredeman de Vries in Antwerp Grove29 p592
Career: In 1570 he went to Aachen, returned to Antwerp & enrolled in the Guild of St Luke, 1577. He fled Antwerp & settled in Frankfurt am Main, becoming a citizen in 1586 Grove29 p592
Oeuvre: Church interiors & some urban genre scenes Grove29 p592, L&L
Characteristics: His works are more monumental & severe than his son’s Grove29 p592
Innovation: Architectural paintings which depart from the theoretical perspectives of Vredeman de Vries & introduce greater realism using colour & the transition between light & shadow suggest depth & recession Grove29 p592
Influence: His work determined the depiction of church interiors for the next 50 years L&L
-Hendrick VAN STEENWYCK/STEENWIJCK, the Younger, c1580-1649, Belgium:
Background: Born Antwerp L&L
Training: His father Grove29 p592
Influences: Vredeman de Vrie’s paintings & books on perspective Vlieghe p200
Career: He worked at the court of Charles I, 1617-37, & painted architectural interiors in the backgrounds of portraits by Van Dyck, Daniel Mijtens I, etc. By 1645 he had moved to the Netherlands L&L, Grove29 p502
Oeuvre: Church interiors, mostly imaginary, & religious works Grove29 p502, Vlieghe p200
Speciality: Nocturnal church interiors L&L
Characteristics: His works, often on copper, are subtler & more detailed than his father’s using brighter colouring & delicate silvery tones. The actual or imaginary church interiors contract sharply with Sanraedam’s white-washed Dutch churches L&L, Grove29 p502
Beliefs: He was a Catholic L&L
Wife: Susanna was also a painter Grove29 p592
.. VAN STRYDONCK, Guillaume, 1861-1967, Belgium:
Background: He was born at Namco’s in Norway but left in childhood Wikip
Training: At the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Francois Portales, & with Gerome at the Ecole National de Beaux-Arts Wikip
Career: In 1883 he was a founding member of LesXX. He made a trip to Florida in 1886 & lived in India, 1891-6
Oeuvre: Landscapes often with figures in bright weather, interiors with figures, & portraits & figure studies webimages
Characteristics: Works of a pleasing Impressionist type webimages
-VAN THULDEN, Theodor, 1606-69, Flanders; Baroque and Northern Realism
Background: Born ‘s Hertogenbosch into as middle-class Catholic family Grove30 p787
Training: In the studio of the portrait painter Abraham Van Blyenberch, Antwerp Grove30 p787
Influences: Van Dyck, Rubens, & Primaticio Nicolo dell’Abate whose work he copied at Fontainebleau Grove30 p787
Career: During 1631-3 he was in Paris & at Fontainebleau; he worked with Rubens on Antwerp festival decorations, 1635; became a citizen of Antwerp, 1636; & executed paintings based on Rubens’ sketches for Philip IV’s hunting lodge, 1637; became dean of the Guild of St Luke, 1639-40; & then returned to ‘s Hertogenbosh due to financial difficulties,1644, & stayed there. L&L,Grove30 p787
Oeuvre: Religious paintings, mythological & historical works, allegories with a political message. prints, design work & latterly portraits Grove30 p787, L&L
Characteristics: Clearly painted & well composed works of a spirited, often dramatic nature in rich colour employing chiaroscuro & featuring interesting colour combinations, angled or curved gesturing figures which are often in the nude or scantily dressed as in Perseus Delivering Andromeda, 1646 (Musee des Beaux-Arts, Nancy), & Allegory of the Return of Peace, 1657 (Noordbrabants Museum s’ Hertogenbosh) Grove30 p788, webimages.
Phases: From 1644 he gradually developed a more individual & sweeter style less affected by Mannerism or dominated by the influence of Rubens, & he now often emulated the elegance & delicacy of Van Dyke. He also moved towards the classicism that dominated painting in Low Countries from around 1650 producing work that was less dramatic & concerned with violence but had greater emotional content. His colour & brushstrokes became less exuberant & he used pale tones or muted shades Grove30 pp 787-9, L&L
Status/Influence: Although not of the stature of Van Dyck or Rubens he had considerable talent & had an important role in the introduction a Flemish style into the Netherlands Grove30 p787
Repute: It declined markedly during the 19th century & did not recover until late in the 20th Grove30 p789
..VAN TILBORCH, Gillis van Tilborch, c1625-78, Belgium; Northern Realism Movement
Background: He was born in Brussels Grove30 p874
Training: Under David Teniers II Grove30 p874
Influences: Joos van Craesbeck Grove30 p874
Career: In 1654 he joined the painter’s guild in Brussels where he ran a busy studio. Around 1670 he visited England & painted Grove30 p874
Oeuvre: Genre scenes of peasant life including kermesse & tavern scenes, group portraits of bourgeois citizens with rather stiff figures, & from 1666 mostly interiors of kunstkammaren (rooms for art) Grove30 p874.
Characteristics: Lively colour especially reds & blues Grove30 p874
-VANTONGERLOO, Georges, 1886-1965:
Background: Born Antwerp OxDicMod
Training: At the Academies in Antwerp & Brussels OxDicMod
Career: He was interned in the Netherlands, moved to Menton in France, joined the De Stijl group in 1917, lived in Paris from 1927 where he belonged to Cercle et Carre, helped found Abstraction-Creation in 1931 L&L, OxDicMod
Oeuvre/Phases/Characteristics: In 1917 he abandoned naturalism for rectilinear paintings & constructions in wood involving mathematical formulae. In 1937 he introduced rhythmic curving lines. He used clear unmodulated colours. Thereafter he made complex objects in transparent plastics OxDicMod, L&L, webimages.
Belief/Innovation: He rejected Mondrian’s that the right angle alone reflected the harmony of the universe & was a pioneer of mathematical approach to abstract art OxDicMod
Friends: Max Bill OxDicMod
-VAN TROOSTWIJK, Wouter, 1782-1810, Netherlands:
Background: Born Amsterdam into a wealthy cultured family, his father being a cloth merchant & scientist Grove31 p368, Wikip
Training: The Amsterdam Taken Académie under Jurriaan Andriessen who made studies from nature, also the latter’s brother Juriann Grove31 p368
Influences: Paulus Potter, Jacob Van Ruisdael & 17th century Dutch landscape Wikip, Grove31 p368
Career: He was unable to establish himself as a full-time artist Grove31 p368, Wikip
Oeuvre: Landscapes, cityscapes, animal paintings, & also etchings Grove31 p368, Wikip
Characteristics/Innovations/Feature: He achieved a totally new lyrical rendering of atmospheric effects, had a fresh colouristic touch & was one of the earliest to paint en plein air, which led to his death through painting in the cold Grove31 p368, Wikip
Grouping: He was one of a number of contemporary artists who were painting Constable-like sketches all over Europe & making something out of nothing Honour 1979 p69
Repute: He has come to be seen as an important precursor of late 19th century Dutch painting Grove31 p368
-VAN UDEN, Lucas, 1595-1672, Belgium; Baroque:
Background: Born Antwerp, the son of Antwerp’s town painter & grandson of the founder of a tapestry & silk factory Grove31 p521
Influences: Rubens L&L
Career: Enrolled in the Antwerp guild of St Luke, 162-7 His best work was between 1630 & 50 L&L
Oeuvre: Paintings & excellent etchings L&L
Characteristics: His paintings often seem contrived & feature a foreground bank topped by a few tall, grouped birches etc with transparent foliage. With one crooked & inclined exception they are all straight. There are central peaceful fields with figures in differing activities, hamlets, bushes, & ponds in which trees & clouds are reflected, or there are rows of trees with thick, round foliage, sometimes trees are lit from behind with their tips highlighted with yellow-orange touches. In the background there are mountains. His colours are palish dull green, pinkish brown & yellowish sunbeams, all bathed in silvery green haze Grove31 pp 521-2.
Grouping: His contrasting dark cool & clear warm zones are in the tradition of Jan Brueughel I & Jose de Momper II Grove31 p522.
Verdict: His paintings lack the grandeur of Rubens, & his [supposed] monochrome green has been regarded as making his works somewhat dry, but he achieved grace, intimacy & tenderness Grove31 p522, Vlieghe pp 192-4
Pupils: Philips Immenraet & Jan Bonnecroy Grove31 p523
Brother & Progeny: Jacob was a landscape painter, Jacob’s son Adiaen & grandson Pieter, a miniature painter, were active in Antwerp Grove31 p523
*VAN VEEN/VAENIUS, Otto/Octavius, 1556-1629, Belgium (Netherlands)
Background: Born Leiden into a patrician family L&L
Training: Isaac Van Swanenburgh; Frans Floris; & Zuccaro in Rome, 1572-80 L&L
Influences: He studied with the humanist & artist Domenicus Lampsonius, sharing his intellectual interests Brigstocke
Career: He was in Antwerp & Liege by 1572; worked in Cologne; entered service of Alessandro Farnese Governor of Belgium in Brussels, 1585; around 1590 settled in Antwerp but maintained his court connections; moved to Brussels, 1615; & died poor L&L, Grove 32 pp 115-6
Oeuvre: Altarpieces, portraits, mythological works, history paintings, allegories, tapestry design & festive decorations Grove32 p115, Brigstocke
Phases: Initially his work was a blend of Zuccaro, Correggio, Parmigianino & the animated style of Zuccaro. His style began changing in the late 1590s, he abandoned Mannerist complexity for a clearer, more rational & Classicism, as in Crucifixion of S. Andrew, 1594-9 (Sint-Andrieskerk, Antwerp), & also religious works of Counter-Reformation Propaganda (Gemaldesammlungen, Munich; St Bravo, Ghent Brigstocke, L&L
Characteristics: His works reflect his broad humanistic learning Grove32 p114
Studio: It was busy & one of leading production centres in Antwerp Grove23 p115
Pupils: Rubens around 1597 & Wolffort L&L, Vlighe p44
-VAN VELDE, Bram, 1895-1981, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Zoeterwoude, near Leiden OxDicMod
Training: At Worpswede where he was deeply influenced by German Expressionism OxDicMod
Career: He moved to Paris in 1925 &, apart from 1932-6 in Majorca, remained there until 1965. During the war he was poverty-stricken & almost stopped painting & did achieve substantial recognition until 1958. In 1965 he settled in Geneva OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings & prints. He worked slowly & produced about 200 paintings OxDicMod
Phases/Characteristics: from 1925 he began painting landscapes & flower pieces in vivid Fauvist colours & he later used Cubist inspired simplifications. In the late 1930s his work became almost abstract. By 1945 there were vague, fluid shapes nut which suggest figures, faces & masks. His art was throughout Expressionistic OxDicMod
Grouping: Art Informal of a poetic type after1945 L&L
Collections: Musse d’Arte d’Histoire, Geneva
Brother: Geer, 1898-1977, was also a painter OxDicMod
Vanvitelli. See van Wittel
..VAN WIERINGEN, Cornelis CLAESZ., c1580-1633, Netherlands-Haarlem:
Background: He was born in Haarlem, the son of a Haarlem captain Wikip
Training: Hendrick Vroom Haak p179
Career: He joined the Haarlem Guild of St Luke, 1597, & held important positions Wikip
Oeuvre: Paintings of ships & sea battles, etchings & tapestry design OxCompArt, Wikip
Characteristics: His works were similar to Vroom’s & he was in the same tradition. The battle & shipwreck paintings are mostly dramatic & his Battle of Gibraltar in 1607, c1621, has strong colouring Haak p179, OxCompArt, Hodge2020 p10
Patrons: The municipalities of Haarlem & Amsterdam Wikip
Status: Contemporaries rated him nearly as highly as Vroom Haak p179
Friends: Hendrick Goltzius & Cornelis van Haarlem with whom he sketched, etc Wikip
Grouping: The Dutch Golden Age Wikip
-VAN WITTEL/VANVITELLI, Gaspar, 1653-1736, Italy (Netherlands):
Influences: Panini’s veduta late on in his career L&L
Career: In 1672 he settled Italy, working mainly in Naples & Rome L&L
Speciality: Small, rather dry factual views L&L
Varallo. See da Varallo. Varga. See del Varga. Vargas. See de Vargas
.. VARLEY, Frederick Horsman/Fred/F. H., 1881-1969=Canada (England)
Background: He was born in Sheffield Grove31 p910
Training: Sheffield School of Art, 1892-1900, & Koninklijk Akademie voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, 1900-2 Grove31 p910
Influences: Grove31 p910
Career: He worked as an illustrator & teacher, befriending Arthur Lismer whom he joined in Canada in 1912. Through Lismer he found work as an illustrator & met Tom Thompson, etc. Varley & Lismer joined him & A. Y. Jackson on a sketching trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in autumn 1914. In 1918 Varley went to France for the last months of the war under the War Records Programme, returned during 1919, but continued with the programme until 1920 when he became a founder member of The Group of Seven. After seeing the Rockies in 1924 & falling in love with them he moved to Vancouver in 1926 & in 1927 began painting in the magnificent Garibaldi Provincial Park. He taught at the Vancouver School of Decorative & Applied Arts, during 1933-5 ran an art school, & joined a group of theosophists. From 1936 he lived in Ottawa, Montreal & Toronto. In 1938 he painted in the Canadian Arctic & returned to landscape in 1957, making annual trips to British Columbia. His life was frequently distraught & he had a lasting drink problem Grove31 p910, Silcox pp 181, 349-50, 396, Reid p154, 195.
Oeuvre: Portraits, landscapes, war paintings, & views from windows. Unlike some other members of the Group of Seven (Lismer, Carmichael & Jackson) he was not attracted by city forms or by small towns & villages Grove31 p910, Silcox pp 65, 127, 149, 373
Phases: He filtrated with Cubism. From 1927 he became for the first time intensely involved in painting landscape. He went on produce some of his finest work including the use of symbolic, expressive colour in his portraiture, as in Vera Silcox p76, Reid p195
Characteristics: His portraits & early landscapes are boldly painted & sitters are up against the picture plane. The Impressionist war paintings are striking & emotional, one being entitled For What? Silcox pp 4, 64, 88-93, 97-9, 114, 118-21.
Aim, 1914: “We are endeavouring to knock out of us all the preconceived ideas, emptying ourselves of everything except that nature is here in all its greatness” Reid p142
Patronage: The Massey family which was headed by Vincent the future Governor General of Canada Grove31 p910, Wikip
–VARLEY, John, 1778-1843, England; Canadian Impressionism Movement
Varallo. See da Varallo
**VASARI, Giorgio, 1511-74, Italy, Florence; Mannerism Movement
Introduction: This deals with his career & activity as a painter etc. For his role as an art historian See Section 4
Background: He was born at Arezzo into a family of artists & potters Brigstocke
Training: Drawing lessons from Luca Signorelli & painting in Arezzo by Guillaume de Marcillat who had worked in Rome & knew the works of Michelangelo & Raphael. After attracting the attention of Cardinal Silvio Passerini, the tutor of Alessandro & Ippolito de’ Medici, he accompanied him to Florence, 1524, & was taught with them by Pierio Valeriano. He then trained in the workshop of Andrea del Sarto & Baccio Bendinelli. In 1529 he joined the workshop of Raffaello da Brescia, & began an apprenticeship to a goldsmith Brigstocke, Grove32 p10
Career: Between 1527 & 1537 he bombinated between Florence, Rome, Pisa, & Arezzo where he met Rosso Fiorentina. His movements were due to the expulsion of the Medici from Florence, 1527, to commissions, & to service for Ippolito &, after his death in 1635, the murder of Alessandro de’ Medici, another patron in 1637. This led Vasari to terminate his career as a court artist & to begin working on a commission basis in Rome, near Bologna, & in Florence, Venice, Rome, & Naples. However, in 1554 he returned to serve the Medici, a position he occupied until his death. During 1555-72 much of his time & energy was devoted to re-modelling the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence as a ducal residence for Cosimo I Brigstocke, Grove32 pp 10-14.
Oeuvre: His principal paintings were fresco cycles but he also painted significant altarpieces, other religious & historical works, mythological paintings & portraits, together with temporary decorations, & architecture Brigstocke, Grove32 pp 10-11, 16-7
Influences/Phases/Characteristics/Verdict/Assistants: Initially under the influence of Rosso & Baccio Bandinelli his work was agitated & depicted feverish activity. In his Deposition, 1539-40 (Monastery-church, Camoldi) the figures are more statuesque & are illuminated in a strong flat light HallM1999 pp 219-20. His Immaculate Conception, 1541 (SS Apostoli, Florence) was an iconographic model in central Italian art until the early 17th century. Although his figures were sometimes statuesque his works were often over-crowded with gesticulating figures as in Universal Homage to Pope Pau lII, 1556 (Sala dei Cento Gioni, Plazzo della Cancelleria, Rome). He took pleasure in figures that were graceful elaborately contrived & ornamental even if they added nothing to the expressive impact of the picture. Both early & later works feature a cheerful sensuality. Despite his immense workload he was able to complete works quickly through the use of assistants. For most of his paintings & frescoes he provided them with drawings & full-scale cartoons which were reused Grove32 p11, 17, HallM 2011p94
Innovation: His Regionamenti, was the first of a series of series of descriptions of complex palazzo decorations Grove32 p22
Grouping: High Mannerism Freedberg p292
..VASILEV, Fyodor, 1850-73, Russia:
Background: Born Gatchina, St Petersburg Province Petrova p276
Training: Evening classes under Ivan Kramskoi at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists, 1863-7; & under the restorer Ivan Sokolow at the Imperial Academy of Arts, from 1865 Petrova p276
Career: He worked under Ivan Shiskin on the island of Balaam, 1867; accompanied Repin & Ivan Makarov on a trip down the Vaolga, 1870; & joined the Wanderers, exhibiting at its first exhibition in, 1871 Petrova p276, Leek p56.
Oeuvre: Landscape paintings often with lonely peasants & after summer rain Petrova pp 76, 78
Characteristics: His paintings depict poverty of the peasantry though sometimes with a hint of optimism as in After Rain Country Track, 1871 Petrova pp 76, 79, 82
Innovations: He was the first to portray the different moods of the Russian countryside, alerting the viewer to the beauty of seemingly unprepossessing countryside & impacting a sense of its magnificence & spirituality King pp 22-3
*VASNETSOV /VASNETZOV, Viktor, 1848-1926, (not to be confused with Vanetsianov), Russia:
Background: His father was a priest in Vyatka province, which was famous for folk arts & crafts 50Rus p138
Training: He studied with Kramskoy in St Petersburg; & the during 1868-75 at Academy L&L. Here he made friends with Repin, Antokolsky, Kramskoi & Stasov; & Pavel Chistyakov was an influential teacher 50Rus p138-9.
Career: During childhood he was immersed in traditional Russia culture. In 1858 he went to a theological school, & then to a theological seminary but he was preoccupied with drawing. In 1876 he went to Paris but returned in 1878, joined the Wanderers, & settled in Moscow 50Rus pp 138-9, L&L. During 1885-96 he painted oil on plaster murals at the Cathedral of St Vladimir, Kiev Grove32 p73
Oeuvre: Genre; Russian history & folk legend paintings; murals; mosaics; stage designs; architecture L&L
Phases/Characteristics: His early small & detailed genre paintings adhere to the principles of Critical Realism, often depicting the St Petersburg poor. However from 1880 he painted historical & national mythological works. These were large, sweeping & monumental with decisive colouring. From around 1900 he also painted religious subjects 50Rus pp 139-42, Grove32 p73. And then from about 1910 he produced gentle folk legends 50Rus p142, L&L
Innovations: He radically transformed Russian historical genre by combining genuine & accurately reproduced historical details with the stirring atmosphere of legend Grove32 p73
Patrons: Mamontov, the railway tycoon L&L
-VAUGHAN, Keith, 1912-77, England:
Background: He was born in Selsey, Sussex OxDicMod
Training: Self-taught L&L
Influences: Cezanne’s classical vision of figures in landscape L&L
Career: He taught at London art schools L&L. He had cancer & committed suicide OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings & design work OxDicMod
Phases/Characteristics: His Neo-romantic work featured coloured drawings of moonlit houses. In his post-war work he concentrated on his favourite themes of landscapes & male nudes in landscape showing man in harmony with nature. They became grander & more simplified, moving towards abstraction OxDicMod, L&L
Links: Andrews, Auerbach, Bacon, Burra, Craxton, Freud, & Minton used to meet at Colony Room (private club in Dean Street) Spalding1986 pp 143-5
Grouping: Neo-Romanticism of which he was one of the leading exponents with Minton OxDicMod
Personal: Despite critical & financial success he felt deep insecurity about his work & role. He was a homosexual OxDicMod
..VAUTIER, Benjamin (the Elder), 1829-98, Switzerland:
Background: Born Morges Norman1977
Training: 1847 in Geneva, then with an enamel painter, & finally at an art school in Dusseldorf Norman1977
Influences: A meeting with Girardet in 1853 determined his dedication to genre Norman1977
Career: In 1850 he went to Dusseldorf. He went to the Black Forest with Knaus & visited Paris in 1856 but settled in Dusseldorf in 1857. Like Knaus & Defregger his pictures of village life were immensely popular Norman1977.
Oeuvre: Genre paintings Norman1977
Characteristics: He produced highly finished scenes of village life with a still-life painter’s attention to detail. His peasants are almost always festive & happy L&L
Vecchia. See della Vecchia
*VECCHIETTA/Lorenzo di Pietro, 1410-80=Siena:
Background: He was baptised in Siena Grove32 p103
Training: This was probably with Sassetta Grove32 p103
Career: His frescos & panel paintings at S Maria della Scala are among the most important in Siena in the 15th century L&L
Oeuvre: Paintings, sculpture, metal work & architecture L&L
Characteristics: Those of a tardy follower of Martini influenced by Angelico Murays1963 p120
Pupils: Benvenuto di Giovanni L&L
Vecchio. See Palma Vecchio
..VEDDER, Elihu, 1836-1923, USA:
Background: He was born in New York Norman1977
Training: With Picot in Paris Norman1977
Career: The Civil War forced him to undertake illustration & commercial work. In 1866 he settled in Rome. During the early 1870s he belonged to the informal sketching group organised by Walter Crane & of which Barclay was a member. In 1896-7 he executed murals for the Library of Congress Norman1977, Newall p21.
Oeuvre: He painted mythological & allegory works, & landscape Norman1977
Grouping: Symbolism Norman1977
-VEDOVA, Emilio, 1919-2006, Italy:
Background: He was born in Venice OxDicMod
Training: He had none OxDicMod
Influences: Roualt, Picasso’s Guernica, & the dynamic spaces in Tintoretto & in Venetian churches OxDicMod
Career: In 1942 he joined the anti-Fascist association Corrente in Milan & during the war he worked with the Resistance in Rome. Subsequently he turned to abstraction & in 1946 signed the manifesto Beyond Guernica which urged engagement with reality without naturalism. During the 1960s he created moving & superimposed light effects with projectors & electronic instruments OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings & graphic work OxDicMod
Characteristics/Phases: His main theme was injustice. His earlier abstract work was geometric but he developed a violent, improvisatory manner. His abstracts have been seen as a passionate impulse for freedom & claustrophobic dread of oppression OxDicMod
Grouping/Status: He was a leading practitioner of Art Informel of a particularly explosive type L&L. He was a left-wing icon, bearded & bespectacled OxDicMod.
Veen. See Van Veen
..VEIT, Philipp, 1893-1877, Schlegel’s step-son, Germany;
Background: He was born in Berlin into a Jewish family. His parents separated while he was a child & his mother eloped with Friedrich Schlegel whom she married in 1804 MET1981 p274, Grove32 p119
Training: The Dresden Academy under Matthai & briefly with Friedrich, 1809 Norman1977
Influences: Initially Overbeck but later the Dusseldorf School Norman1977
Career: He moved to Dresden in 1808 &, following the example of his mother & stepfather, converted to Catholicism in 1810. Veit continued his studies in Vienna (1811), where he met Koch. During the 1813-14 War of Liberation he fought as a volunteer. He arrived in Rome in 1815 where he joined the Nazarenes & collaborated on the Bartholmy frescos. In 1815 he married a Roman girl aged fifteen. During 1830-43 he was Director of the Stadelsches Institute in Frankfurt. In 1854 he became director of the Stadtischen Galerie, Mainz Norman1977, MET1981 p274
Oeuvre: Portraits, religious works, allegories & frescoes Grove32 pp 119-20
Phases: Initially he had difficulty painting in oil & used watercolour Grove32 p119. His early compositions were consciously archaized & he largely painted portraits Norman1977, MET1981 p274. In his later work Veit abandoned his earlier bright palette for a more reticent colouration using tones often mixed with grey & brown Grove32 p120
Circle: In Vienna he came to know the poet & novelist von Eichendorff & other leading Romantics Grove32 p119
Verdict: Veit was the finest colourist among the Nazarenes & painted some excellent portraits & self-portraits Grove32 pp 119-20
Grouping: The Nazarenes Norman1977
Pupils: Alfred Rethel & Eduard von Steinle Grove32 p120
..VELASCO, Jose, 1840-1912, Mexico:
Background: He was from a small provincial village & into family with artistic an tradition Grove32 p123
Training: Evening drawing classes at the Academia de Belles Artes in Mexico City in 1858, & from 1860 in the studio of Eugenio Landesio Grove32 p123
Career: He taught at the Academy from 1868 & in1874 he settled in Villa Guadalupe high up on the northern outskirts of Mexico City. He visited Paris in 1889 as head of the Mexican mission of the Exposition Universelle, & also travelled through England, Germany, Italy & Spain. He was interested in positivism & the natural sciences & was knowledgeable about evolution Grove23 pp 123–4.
Oeuvre: Landscapes sometimes involving history & archaeology Grove32 p123
Speciality: Landscapes of the Valley of Mexico seen from a high vantage point until his latter years, & capturing its extraordinary scale Grove23 pp 123-4
Characteristics: His work was of a meticulously high standard with measured colour & an absence of drama. He never painted a storm. He observed nature with intense sensibility to light & its minute details from clouds to rocks Grove32 p123, R&J p383
Status: He was the most representative Mexican painter of the 19th century & he became a national hero Grove32 p123, R&J p383
Repute: His paintings had great international success at international exhibitions R&J p383
Grouping: His vision of a venerable landscape of breath taking scope was alien to the Impressionist mode R&J p383. He was one of the greatest Realists of his epoch Lucie-S1993 p26
Legacy: A school of landscape painters who followed his patriotic lead R&J p483
Collections: Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City
****VELAZQUEZ/VELASQUEZ, 1599-1660, Spain; Spanish Eloquence and Baroque
Background: His paternal grandparents were converted Portuguese Jews, although they were said to be of noble birth Hodge2012 p18, L&L
Training: In 1609, according to Palomino, he spent several months with Herrera the Elder but left because he was disagreeable. At the end of 1610 he entered the studio of Pacheco to whom he was apprenticed until 1617 Grove 32 pp 125-6
Influences: Caravaggio, Rubens, Titian & the polychrome sculpture of Montanes L&L. He, like Zubaran, knew Caravaggio’s style mainly through copies & the work of imitators H&P p177
Career: In 1622 he paid a short visit to Madrid & in 1623 was recalled by Philip IV’s chief minister Olivares, a fellow Sevillian. A portrait of the king pleased him so much that Velazquez was appointed a court painter. In 1627 he received the first of a series of administrative duties which he conscientiously fulfilled but which reduced his output, although the 1630s & 40s were his most productive period. In 1628-9 he visited Rome, Genoa, Venice & Naples, & during 1648-51 was again in Italy OxDicArt
Phases: He entirely abandoned bodegones on becoming a court painter &, although he painted historical, mythological & religious pictures, he became primarily a portraitist. His brushwork now became broader & more fluid, especially after his Italian trip OxDicArt
Characteristics: Naturalism Martin pp 50-1. Philip IV, and other royals, are almost invariably shown standing or on horseback, even the children; the only exception is the non-autographed picture of Philip praying Levey1971 p140; NGVelazquez pp 30,35, 38, 171, 173, 177, 183, 195, 199, 227, 231, 237, 241. A notable feature of his work is how serious his figures look. Only in a few of his non-portrait works does anybody look really happy NGVelazquez pp 117,121, Hodge2012 pp 103-4, 165.
Workshop: This was busy as shown by the good copies of his work OxDicArt
Friends: Rubens when he visited Spain in 1628-9 on a diplomatic mission OxDicArt
Gossip: He fathered an illegitimate son on his second Italian visit OxDicArt
Views: rather be “first painter of common things than the second in higher art” Hodge2012 p26
Grouping: According to Pevsner & others, he was a Baroque artist Pevsner1968 p38, Conti pp 50-1, Hodge2012 p92. However, Kitson describes him as a realist who, like Zurbaran, was influenced by Caravaggio & the Spanish tradition of carved wooden polychrome sculpture Kitson1966 pp 93, 101
Status: He was the greatest Spanish painter L&L
Repute: He only became well known after 1848 when the Gallerie Espagnole opened at the Louvre Moffitt p126
Follower: DEL MAZO, Juan, c1614-67, who was his son-in-law & succeeded him at court L&L
Repute: Velazquez only became well known after 1848 when the Gallerie Espagnole opened at the Louvre Moffitt p126
Collections: the Prado, & outside Spain in the NG, Apsley House & the Wallace Collection
San Giovanni/Mannozzi. See da San Giovanni/Mamozzi
Sano di Pietro. See di Pietro, Sano
VENETSIANOV, Alexei, 1780-1847 (not to be confused with Vasnetsov), Russia:
Background: He was born Moscow into a reasonably well-to-do merchant family Grove32 p162
Training In St Petersburg probably under Borovikovsky Norman1977, Grove32 p162
Influences: The Dutch masters at the Hermitage Norman1977
Career: He spent his early life in Moscow but in 1802 moved to St Petersburg. Granet’s Capuchin Chapel, exhibited, at the Hermitage in 1821, changed his life. He moved to a small country estate at Safonkovo, which he acquired in 1815. Here he painted for the rest of his life, after nature & in emulation of Granet. Barn (1824) was bought by the Tsar, & this enabling him to start his own school Norman1977. Here he taught the peasants art. An 1824 exhibition of his work in St Petersburg was greeted with enthusiasm in progressive circles, but the Academy viewed him with distaste & denied him a teaching post 50Rus p73
Oeuvre: Peasant interiors & rural scenes Norman1977
Phases: Early on he produced portraits & satirical graphic works 50Rus pp 70-1. In the 1830s his subject matter became more conventional Grove32 p164
Characteristics: His paintings are devoid of drama & present the viewer with illustration rather than anecdote Grove32 p163. The are filled with sun, space, light, stillness, together with single figures in open countryside & dignified peasants King pp 21-3. However, a Soviet source says that in his desire to dignify peasants, he tended to idealise their life & work, without showing the hardships of self labour 50Rus p72. He conveyed a sense of space partly by avoiding classical framing devices Grove32 p164
Aim: “to represent nothing otherwise than as it is in nature…to obey nature alone, without adding the manner of any artist” 50Rus p72
Innovations: The depiction of the Russian countryside & its beauty King pp 21-2
First great Russian genre painter Norman1977, 50Rus p70
Style/Grouping: He blended different stylistic principles: classical notions of beauty & the unchanging character of everyday life with elements of sentimentality & Romanticism, particularly in his early portraits. His work can be characterised as an early form of realism which he pioneered in Russia Grove32 pp 162-4
..Agostino VENEZIANO, 1490-1540, Italy:
***Domenico VENEZIANO/DI Bartolommeo, c1410-61, Italy:
..Lorenzo VENEZIANO, active 1356-72, Italy=Venice:
Career: Unlike the probably unrelated Paolo, he worked extensively outside Venice & he drew on a wider range of sources Brigstocke
Characteristics: He developed Paolo’s work in a decisively Gothic direction probably having visited Bologna & Verona, the centres of Gothic art. The Annunciation, 1357, in his Lion Polyptych has a smiling, Gothic intimacy. His style is more three-dimensional & the colour, with grass-green & scarlet, is bright & Gothic rather than rich & Byzantine. His draperies are fuller & more realistic with cup-like folds. Gold has almost disappeared Steer pp 23-5.
Aim: The provision of an idealized but realistic & intimate image to be used in personal devotion as first popularized by the Franciscans Steer pp 25-6
Status: He was the leading late 14th century Venetian painter Brigstocke
Veneziano , Sebastiano. See Del Piomobo
-Paolo VENEZIANO, Paulo, after 1321-before1362, Italy=Venice:
Status: He was the leading painter in 14th century Venice & the founder of the Venetian School Brigstocke, L&L
Innovations: He popularized the polyptych or composite altarpiece: a complex of painted scenes & figures within a richly gilded frame. In different forms this was the most important element in Venetian church decoration for two centuries. Hitherto Holy Figures had been enormous & remote but now they were placed on the spectator’s level & thereby humanized. Such altarpieces were painted on wood & took the place of wall mosaics Steer p15, L&L
Verdict: His work & in particular the Coronation, 1340s?, is a work of chromatic & decorative brilliance Brigstocke
Veneziano , Sebastiano. See Del Piomobo
..VENNOH, Robert, USA, Boston
Background: He was born at Hartford, Connecticut, but grew up in Boston Gerdts1980 p79
Training: At the Massachusetts Normal Art School, 1875-7, & at the Academie Julian under Gustave Boulanger & Jules-Joseph Lefebvre when in Paris, 1881-3 NGArtinParis p263
Career: He first exhibited at the Salon in 1883 & during 1883-5 at the Salon des Artistes Francais. After returning to Paris in 1887, he settled at Grez-sur-Loing where he converted to Impressionism. Back in America in 1891 he taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1891-6, & 1918-20 NGArtinParis p263, Gerdts1984 p64.
Oeuvre: Landscapes & some 500 commissioned portraits NGArtinParis p263
Characteristics: His landscapes at Grez were vibrant & employed Impressionist lavenders, violets & purples using broken brushwork. In contest his portraits displayed his academic training: solid construction & dark & dramatic forms Gerdts1984 p64.
Verdict: He was an exceptionally gifted portrait painter Gerdts1980 p79.
Influence: He was an outstanding teacher or Impressionist techniques. His pupils included Edward Redfield, Elmer Schofield. Robert Henri, John Sloan, William Glackens & Maxfield Parrish Gerdts1980 p79 & 1984 p64.
..VERDIER, Francois, 1651-1730, France:
Background: He was born in Paris & his father was a court clockmaker Grove32 p242
Training: At the Academie Royale around 1669 & during 1679-80 at the Academie de France in Rome Grove32 p242
Career: In 1678 he achieved the first stage of entry to the Academy. From 1681 he mainly worked on official commissions under the guidance of Le Brun, marrying his niece in 1685. He painted cartoons for the Gobelins, assisted Le Brun at the Louvre, & painted 14 decorative mythologies for the Grand Trianon, & an altarpiece, 1688-98. Between 1684 & 1699 he was a professor at the Academy Grove32 p242
Oeuvre: Painter & draughtsman, including nude life studies Grove32 p242
Characteristics: Most of his work is very Le Brun-llke, but his Grand Trianon paintings feature idiosyncratic colour & extreme classicism Grove32 p242
..VERESCHAGIN, Vasily Vasilyvich, 1842-1904, Russia:
-VERHAECHT/VERHAEGHT, Tobias, 1561-1631, Belgium:
Background: Born Antwerp Grove32 p250
Career: He spent much of his early life in Florence patronised by Grand Duke Francesco I & in Rome. In 1590 he became as master in the Guild of St Luke, Antwerp Grove32 p250
Oeuvre: Landscapes & religious works Grove32 pp 250-1
Characteristics: He persisted in painting imaginary; fantastic panoramic mountainous landscapes dominated by rocky outcrops Grove32 p250
Pupil: He was Rubens’ first teacher being married to a distant relation L&L
-VERHAEGHEN, Pieter, 1728-1811, Belgium:
Training: Balthazar Beschey L&L
Influences: Jordaens’ robust paintings L&L
Career: He was active in Louvain L&L
Status: He was the only distinguished 18th century Flemish painter of altarpieces L&L
..VERKADE, Jan, 1868-1946, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Zaandam Grove32 p258
Training: At the Rijksacadenie voor Bekdende Kunsten, Amsterdam, 1887-90 under August Allebe, & then with his brother-in-law Jan Veerman Grove32 p258
Influences: Grove32 p258
Career: He moved to Amsterdam in 1876 & to Paris in 1890 where he joined Nabis meetings at Paul Ranson’s studio. During 1891-2 he painted in Brittany at Pont Aven, St Nolff & Poldu In 1892 & 93 he visited Italy, & in 1894 Copenhagen. In 1892 he became a Catholic, painted at the Benedictine monastery at Buron in 1893, entered the order in 1894, painted for various churches, visited Palestine from 1909 to 1912, He painted little after 1915 Grove32 p258, Chasse p104
Oeuvre: Landscapes, still-life & religious murals Grove32 p258
Characteristics: His landscapes & still-lifes are decorative works of a clear-cut linear type using both muted & bright colour, & occasionally employing impressionistic brushwork webimages
Circle: Serusier, Gauguin, Maurice Denis, Vuillard, Bonnard, Kier-Xavier Roussel, Jan Toorop, etc Grove32 p258
Grouping: The Nabis Chasse p124
..VERLAT, Charles, 1824-1890, Belgium; Academic:
Background: Born Antwerp Norman1977
Training: At the Antwerp Academy & Ary Scheffer’s atelier at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1850 Grove32 p259
Influences: Rubens’ colouring & the Flemish tradition of animal painting Grove32 p259
Influences: Courbet & the Stephens Norman1977
Career: He worked in Paris until 1868, became a professor at the Weimar Kuntschule, 1869; & travelled to Egypt, Palestine & Syria, 1875-7; was then a professor at the Antwerp Academy & from 1885 its director Norman 1977
Oeuvre: Mainly animal paintings especially hunting scenes & wild deer but also historical, religious, oriental scenes, landscapes, pictures of monuments & portraits Norman1977, Grove32 p259
Characteristics: He painted in a realistic style capturing the subtle & texture of animal fur. Initially he employed intense light & colour contests Later his work became more subdued Grove32 p259
Pupils: Charles Mertens & Henry Van de Velde Grove32 p259
**VERMEER, 1632-75, Jan/Johannes, Netherlands=Delft:
..VERMEHREN, Johann, 1823-1910, Denmark:
Background: Born in Ringsted Norman1977
Training: At Soro and at the Copenhagen Academy Norman1977
Oeuvre: Primarily genre scenes; also some landscapes and portraits Norman1977
Characteristics: A leading exponent of nationalist-oriented genre painting, depicting the customs and costumes of the Danish countryside Norman1977
**VERONESE/CALIARI, Paolo, 1528-88, Italy=Venice:
Background: Verona’s new Spanish fashions in dress & manners but, as a Venetian dependency, the town was untroubled by approaching storms Berenson p47; his father & grandfather were stonecutters Grove32 p347
Training: Antonio Badile (mediocre) L&L
Influences: Parmigianino’s drawings; Michelangelo’s Joel via an engraving; Corregio ie his Antiope which was then in Mantua; Veronese artists’ sunny palette & clear light Grove32 pp 347-8, 353
Career: his early works date from the late 1540s; 1553 went to Venice; 1553-4 he worked at Ducal Palace on Youth & Age etc; 1555-1570 or after worked at S. Sebastiano; 1560 visited Rome; c1561 fresco at Villa Barbaro, Masser (where the Barbaro brothers must have devised the icongraphic programme) Grove32 pp 347-50; 1573 Last Supper censured by Inquisition but he simply changed the title to Feast in the House of Levi L&L, Steer p162
Oeuvre: There are over 300 known paintings & 150 drawings RAVenice p233
Technique: He played out composition applying mid-tones area by area. Then he added shadows & highlights. His skies sometimes have only one layer of pigment but his drapery etc has up to six Grove32 pp 353-4
Phases: His early works have somewhat elongated figures with manoeuver gestures; simple foreground/background composition; cool palette; blue skies streaked with white clouds Grove32 p347; from c1565 he adopted a darker tonality & chirascuro, & his pictures have a graver, increasing pathos L&L; his late work has a new understanding of chiaroscuro with colour values reflecting visual experience to establish spatial reality RAVenice p43
Portraits: with figures displaying aristocratic assurance & ease placed against monumental structures, but without character Steer p130
Specialities: Huge feast scenes for refectories L&L; these embody an ideal of physical beauty, splendour & nobility inherited from Byzantium. The securalisation of religious art which they display could scarcely go further Steer p162; his 1562-3 Marriage of Cana was the most ambitious Grove32 p351
Characteristics: His work displays a new level of decorative & expressive sophistication in mixing & combining hues together with the attractiveness of Veronese’s ceremony & splendour with their almost childlike feelings RAVenice p43, Berenson pp 47-8. First & foremost he was a colourist; though his later paintings show greater interest in light. Chirascuro was never allowed to subdue colour or impair its richness. However it became less bright, more modulated & emotive with his mythological paintings having a magic twilight effect. Perhaps because of its fleeting nature this is almost tragic. There was a similar depth of feeling in his later religious paintings with harmony & richness due both to the arrangement of forms & the balance & interrelation of colours. In the Adoration of the Magi crimson red is matched with complimentary dark green, & pink with emerald Steer pp 161,166-8. He painted sotto in the ceiling decorations; he captured sunlight on fabric & flesh; & he painted delicate shadows as seen in clear daylight Grove32 pp 347-9
Grouping: He was a late Mannerist Pevsner1968 p15
Patrons: They were chiefly monasteries! Berenson p46. He had unabated success in Venice but he lacked Titian’s international status RAVenice p233
First: He initiated portraits in which figures are placed against monumental structures Steer p130
Anticipations: Baroque’s uplifting emotionalism of his late Ducal Palace Triumph of Love ceiling canvas with their motion & excitement Grove32 p353
Personality: He appears to have been business like & astute but trustworthy, virtuous & religious. His two letters display warmth & humanity Grove32 p355
Workshop: It was large & included his sons, Carlo & Gabriele, & his brother Benedetto Caliari. The degree of workshop participation is often a matter of dispute but many later works are clearly collaborative Grove32 pp 355-6
Influenced: Rubens Wedgwood1967 p29
Legacy: His understanding of the decorative & emotive possibilities of colour, especially in his later works, was profoundly important for all future colourists, particularly for Delacroix & Cezanne Steer p168
Collections: San Sebastiano, Venice
..VERMIGLIO, Giuseppe, 1585-1635, Italy:
* Claude-Joseph VERNET, 1714-80, Carle’s father, France; Romantic Picturesque Movement
Background: He was born in Avignon, the son of a prosperous artisan painter L&L, Grove32 p331. From around 1760 the French public, now mostly town dwellers, wanted what was missing from their own experience landscapes that would transport it into a world of fantasy & excitement. This quest was a vital element in the development of Romanticism Wakefield p134
Training: Philippe Sauvan, the leading master in Avignon & with the decorative painter Jacques Viali, in Aix-en-Provence who also painted landscapes & marine paintings Grove32 p331
Influences: Claude, Dughet, Rosa, & Panini for figures L&L
Career: During 1733-53 he worked in Rome where he married an Englishwoman, & sold picture to English Grand Tourists. In 1753 he returned to France, became a full member of the Academie Royale & received a royal commission to paint French ports, of which 15 were completed & exhibited between 1755 & 1765. In the 1765 he gave up this task & settled in Paris OxDicArt, L&L, Grove32 p332.
Oeuvre: Marine & landscape works, views of picturesque Italian sites Grove32 p331
Phases: During the 1750s he turned to pictures of natural disasters & shipwrecks Vaughan1978 p36
Characteristics: His works display Claude’s ability to render light, water & atmosphere together with a greater variety of mood & atmosphere, The brushwork of his early Italian works is superb Grove32 p332
Status: He was the leading 18th century French landscape & seascape painter L&L
Grouping: He was a proto-Romantic artist & together with Loutherbourg, Casanova, & minor landscapists artists painted with poetic emotion Lucie-S1971 p148, Wakefield p154
Followers: de Volaire who was his collaborator, & de Lacroix L&L
Influenced: Wilson & Wright L&L
Collections: Up Park, Sussex
Specialities: atmospheric calm/stormy/day/night coastal pictures L&L; works based on studies from nature seen as naturalistic alternative to Boucher L&L; but idealized & somewhat sentimental landscapes OxDicArt
-Horace/Emile-Jean-Horace VERNET, 1789-1863, Carle’s son, France:
Background: He was born in Paris TurnerDtoI p390
Training: In his father’s studio & formal training with Francois-Andre Vincent until 1810 TurnerDtoI p390
Career: In 1812 he first exhibited at the Salon. In 1822 the Salon turned down two war pictures. He supported Napoleon to the bitter end, was present at his last stand at Clichy, opposed the Restoration government & was part of a cycle that clung to the vision of Napoleon as hero. He opened his own studio to which the public flocked. In 1824 the government commissioned two portraits & gave him the Legion d’honneur. During 1828-34 he was director of the Academie in Rome & in 1835 became professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He painted historic battle scenes for Louis-Philippe’s gallery at Versailles. Between 1833 & 53 he made several visits to Algeria where he witnessed the French army’s efforts to occupy the country, & the exotic Arab civilisation TurnerDtoI pp 390-1, Craske pp 54-6, R&J p163
Oeuvre: Paintings of current history; heroic events, Napoleonic & other; biblical scenes; & the Arab world TurnerDto I pp 390-21, Craske pp54-5, Thompson p31, R&J p162.
Characteristics/Technique: His facture varied between the large, loose & almost careless in some of his early work & his later licked, porcelain finish, especially in his post-1830 Biblical work. He was not a colourist but could be vivid TurnerDtoI p391
Verdict: Although he was prodigiously talented, his work ranges from the verve & freedom of some early paintings to the documentary statement of fact later on Craske p54, Turner DtoI p391, R&J p163, ThompsonJ pp3, 88
Reputation: Thiers in 1824 praised a realism achieved by an absence of conventions & rules but later critics, & in particular Baudelaire, were critical. In the 1980s his naturalism was seen as foreshadowing Courbet & Manet TurnerDtoI pp 392-3
-VERRIO, Antonio, c1639-1707, Italy/England:
Background: He was born at Leece Grove32 p358
Career: He travelled through Italy & France & settled at Toulouse Grove32 p358; 1671member of PA. Around 1671 he went to England & during 1676-88 had continuous royal employment, becoming the 1694 King’s Painter in 1694, following Lely. Between 1688 & 99 he mainly worked at Chatsworth & Burghley House, & during 1699-1702 undertook royal work mainly at Hampton Court L&L
Feature He had a remarkable Vicar of Bray career working for both Louis XIV & William III, & painting Catholic & anti-Catholic work in England Haskell p196
Oeuvre: Frescos L&L
Characteristics: His paintings contain frequent jokes & caricatures with ceilings either imitating plasterwork set with pictures, or appearing to open skywards. However, his outstanding joke-cum-caricature painting is that of the cook at Burleigh with whom he had quarrelled. She is portrayed as Plenty & has extra breasts Grove32 pp 358-9
Innovations: He brought Baroque ceiling decoration to England, with illusionistic walls appearing to open to the sky Haskell p196
Verdict: His work is ill drawn & coloured, & pretentious & mediocre L&L, Haskell p196. He was surpassed by Laguerre in quality, liveliness & imagination Waterhouse1953 p126. It is difficult to assess his talents because of destruction of important works at Windsor & repeated restorations Grove32 p359. [Moreover, it is highly questionable whether he was really such a poor painter. Most of the ceilings & walls & Burghley appear to be lively & accomplished, especially the Heaven Room, which significantly appears to be in more or less in its original state.]
Personal: He was pretentious, vulgar & extravagant Waterhouse1953 p126. During his Burghley years, 1686-97, his lifestyle alternated between profligate living at the George Hotel consuming exotic foods & a hedge tavern when he was skint. He left Burghley heavily indebted to local tradespeople S&C&R p31
Patrons: Initially the Jesuits Grove32 p358
Gossip: In arguments at Burghley the Earl of Exeter called Verrio an “impudent dog” S&C&R p31
Reputation: It collapsed after death Grove32 p359
**VERROCCHIO, 1435-88:
– Cornelis VERSPRONCK, active 1597-1660, Netherlands=Harlem:
– VERSPRONCK, Jan/Johannes: around 1607-1662, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Background: He was born at Haarlem, the son of the painter Cornelis who specialised in group portraits of civic notables, much inferior to those of Hals Grove 32 p 376, L&L
Career: In 1632 he joined the Haarlem Guild of St Luke. He had a high reputation & received increasingly better commissions Grove32 p376, Haak p234
Oeuvre: Portraits including group works of notables & a few genres paintings Grove 32 p376
Characteristics: The application of a greyish glaze to the shaded side of a face with blue-grey touches to highlight the nose & lips. He combined animation with great refinement & painted the gleaming black clothing worn by most of his sitters with great subtlety. In composition & pose his portraits are very similar to those of Hals but his work was meticulous & detailed as in Portrait of a Girl Dressed in Blue, 1641 Haak p234, Hodge2020 p212
..VERWEE, Alfred, 1838-95, Belgium:
Background: Born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode; his father was a long-time associate of Verboeckhoven Norman1977
Training: He studied with his father, with Verboeckoven and L. Robbe Norman1977
Oeuvre: Animal and landscape paintings Norman1977
Circle: A staunch campaigner of the Belgian Realist movement in its opposition to the art establishment Norman1977
Characteristics: Verwee’s paintings of domestic animals in their landscape are smoothly finished Norman1977
-VESNIN, Aleksandr, 1883-1959, Russia:
..VESTIER, Antoine, 1740-1824, France:
Background: He came from Burgundy, born in Avallon Wakefield p75, Grove32 p386
Training: Jean-Baptiste Pierre in Paris & enamel painting by his future father-in-law Antoine Reverand Wakefield p75, Grove32 p386
Influences: English & Dutch portraiture Wakefield p75
Career: His Ascension was spotted by a local notable who funded his journey to Paris. He made a trip to London from 1766-67, but his career did not flourish until 1782 when he first exhibited at the Salon. During 1785-91 he regularly exhibited there and was received into the Academie Royale, 1786. He suffered economic distress during the Revolution, began exhibiting again in 1795, but ceased painting in 1802 Grove32 p386, Wakefield p75
Oeuvre: Miniatures & then easel portraits, having virtually ceased painting miniatures until the Revolution. Besides the nobility & upper bourgeoisie he portrayed actors & musicians Grove32 p 386
Characteristics/Feature: Some portraits have a breadth & vigour which is rare in French 18th century art whereas other work foreshadows David’s Revolutionary sobriety with neutral background & austere dress. The sitter usually looks directly at the viewer & his works are enhanced by some form of activity &/or by an object which is being held by his smiling, decollate Portrait of Mme Larmore, with a lyre-guitar,1804 [Wikimedia Commons] Wakefield p75
Feature: His work is close to that of Reynolds & Gainsborough as in the superb portrait of Jean Theurel ,1788 (Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tours) which has a breadth & vigour rare in French 18th century art, while at other times his work foreshadows David’s Revolutionary sobriety Wakefield p75
Phases: He gained few commissions until he became the painter of the powerful d’Hozier family. His latter work was the antithesis of Rococo exuberance, his search for purity & simplicity led to the exclusion of free brushwork & lively colour, finally producing wax images with little trace of life & movement Grove32 p386, Wakefield p75
..VERSTRAETE, Theodor/Theodore, 1850-1907, Belgium; Rural Naturalism Movement
Background: He was born in Ghent, the son of a theatre conductor & a popular actress Wikip
Training: At the Antwerp Academy under Jacob Jacobs from 1867; & then at the linked free workshop of Edgard Farasyn, 1873-8, meanwhile supporting himself as a drummer & decorative painter at the theatre Wikip.
Career: The family moved to Brussels. About 1876 he first exhibited at the Antwerp Salon & in 1878 he & his wife settled in Braschaat in the Campine & he painted from his caravan during the week. It had large windows so that he could continue to work even when the weather was bad. He was a founding member of Les XX but soon resigned, & in 1891 a co-founder of DXIII which aimed to counter academicism. The art collector Henri Van Cutsem became his patron which not only assisted him financially but also led to him painting coastal scenes at CoIsen’s villa. In 1893 Verstraete had a stroke which ended his artistic career Wikip, Pryke pp36-7
Oeuvre: Subject paintings set in the countryside & coastal scenes Weisberg1992 pp 214-6, Wikip.
Characteristics: He painted striking & increasingly large canvases based on preparatory drawings but also painted en plein-air. Verststraete favoured flat unromantic countryside under overcast skies, inhabited by common folk. Even when they were engaged in exceptional activities, such as funeral processions there was a total absence of theatre. The emotional temperature is very low but, as with a cold wind, sometimes intense. When he painted figures, he typically used an unsentimental back or side view. His colours are generally muted, harmonious & melancholy: greys, browns, dull yellow-gold, & black predominate. Despite this his pictures contain areas of striking luminosity, as shown in his masterpiece Burial in the Campine, 1888. The glowing effect was due to the use of a wide range of tones. Although his colours were for the most part dark & dull, he used some brighter colour. As a result, it appears exceptionally bright Weisberg1992 pp 211-2, Pryke pp 36-7
Feature/Influence: There was an interesting link between Verstraete & the Newlyn School: in 1881 he painted with Norman Garstin in the countryside & was an important formative influence Pryke p34.
Grouping: Naturalism Weisberg1992 p211
Collections: Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tournai; Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp
..VICTORS, Jan, c1620-76, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Amsterdam Haak p534
Training: Rembrandt Haak p298
Career: In 1676 he left for the East Indies Haak p298
Oeuvre: Biblical compositions, genre, portraits Haak p534
Speciality: Village scenes in which butchers & artisans are working & paintings depicting the Reformed Parish Orphanage in Amsterdam, at least one of which is realistic [& a striking composition] Haak pp 54, 367
Phases: After 1650 he devoted himself more to genre Haak p534
Characteristics/Verdict: The figures in his Biblical paintings are stagey & his treatment of light is erratic. Victors’ genre scenes are stronger & in the best of these he subdued his colours & achieved a pleasant atmosphere. His portraits are very able Haak pp 298, 367
*VIEN, Joseph-Marie, 1715-1809, France; Neo-Classicism Movement
Background: Born at Montpellier L&L
Training: Natori’s studio in Paris from 1740 &, after winning the Prix de Rome, at the French Academy in Rome from 1744 Grove 32 p427
Influences: Raphael, Michealangelo, the Bolognese painters of the first half of the 17th century & the excavations at Pompeii & Herculaneum &, during the 1750s, Pousin, Sebastien Bourdon & Le Brun Grove32 p427, Brigstocke
Career: After returning to France in 1750 he was finally elected to the Academy in 1751, became a professor in & directed the French Academy in Rome, 1775-82. He became Premier Painter du Roi in 1789, was protected by David during the Terror, & became a senator under Napoleon & a count in 1898, but he did not exhibit at the Salon after 1793 Brigstocke. L&L, WestS
Oeuvre: Religious, mythological & history paintings Grove29 pp 427-8
Phases/Characteristics/Feature: From the beginning he moved between works of a Baroque & a classical type with his efforts in the latter direction impeded by his Baroque inclinations which resulted in a great deal of mediocre pseudo-classical work featuring classical clothing & trappings. The exception, although opinions differ, as in the Cupid Seller, 1763 (Galerie des Fastes’, on loan from the Louvre) with its delicate & simple classicism. It is also an interesting example of a work of a non-theatrical nature in which the participants are not projecting themselves but jointly concentrating on what is happening Grove29 pp427-8, Brigstocke, Fried1980 pp 63-4.
Innovations: He was the first French artist to embrace Neo-classicism & he painted scenes of medieval France Grove 29 pp 429-30
Legacy: The necessity of studying the antique & the importance of life study Grove19 p427
Son: Joseph-Marie the Younger, 1762-1848, was a portrait painter WestS1996
Viera da Silva. See da Silva
*VIGEE-LEBRUN, 1755-1842, France:
Background: Vigee-Lebrun’s father was a pastellist & painter TurnerDtoI p396
Influences: Rubens. Following her 1781 trip to the Low Countries she experimented with his warmer colours & multiple thin glazes TurnerDtoI pp 396-7
Career: Admitted to the Academy in 1783. In 1789 she went to Italy after slanderous press attacks. During 1795-1801 she was in Russia. After 1790 she began painting portraits of gazing, solitary figures in relatively modest attire in romantic landscape settings TurnerDtoI pp397-8.
Oeuvre: Portraits TurnerDtoI p396
Specialities Vigee-Lebrun painted 30 pictures of Marie Antoinette & many portraits of English tourists while in Naples TurnerDtoI p398
Characteristics: In her early female portraits she made delightful use of colour, especially her vibrant blues & greens with a rich use of paint creating a buttery effect. It is reminiscent of Raphael & Gainsborough, though her brushwork was much less free, despite a virtuoso muff in the Mole-Raymond portrait. Her faces were open & unaffected. Drapery was not excessively naturalistic. Lace & other details were carefully observed but loosely painted. Vigee-Lebrun achieved facial vitality by means of delicate colour layering, especially in shadows. Her colour combinations were striking. She used monochromatic backgrounds from the 1780s TurnerDtoI p397
Gossip: Painted between labour pains Vigee-Le Brun p28
Status: The most fashionable portraitist of her time Wakefield p77
Feature: Vigee-Lebrun did not conform to the general reversion to sobriety & simplicity prior to the Revolution Wakefield p72
Innovation: In place of the traditional, formal royal portrait Marie Antoninette is pictured in an intimate family scenes R&J p21.
Verdict: It has been said that her art was a conscious anchronism & a final attempt of the Ancient Regime to take refuge in a make-believe & fancy-dress world Wakefield p77
Grouping: Rococo in an extended sense Baur
– Claude VIGNON, the Elder, 1593-1670, Claude the Younger’s father, France:
Background: He was born in Tous Brigstock
Training: In Paris in the Mannerist milieu of Bunel & Georges Lallemant Brigstocke
Influences: Caravaggio, Elasheimer & his followers, especially Latman L&L
Career: During 1616-24 he was in Rome & associated with Manfredi, Valentin & Vouet. After returning to Paris in 1625 he quickly became successful at Louis XIII’s court, was employed by Cardinal Richelieu, painted for churches throughout France, & was elected to the Academy, 1651L&L, Brigstock
Feature: He had 34 children Brigstock
Oeuvre: History & religious paintings for which he developed a simplified Counter-Reformation style & genre, portraits & prints Brigstock
Characteristics: Some of his early paintings are Rembrandt-like & from 1625 painted highly artificial Mannerism with exotic colour combinations for his heavily painted draperies L&L
Studio: It produced much mediocre work Brigstock
Son: Claude Vignon the Younger was a decorative painter who worked under Lebun on the royal apartments at Versailles, 1671-81 L&L
Victor VIGNON, 1847-1909, France: True Impressionism Movement
Background: He was born at Villers Cotterets & his mother was a sculptor who owned a hotel that had been decorated by Puvis de Chevannes in the 1850s Wikip.
Training: Corot & Adolpje Cats Wikip
Career: He moved to Nesles-la Vallee & soon afterward to Lisle-Adam where he settled. Exhibited at the 5th to 7th Impressionist Exhibitions but he was criticised by Monet for sharp outlines which were not fully Impressionist, a charge echoed by others in the 1890s. on the ground that his work was nearer to that of the Dutch Old Masters. However, helped by Dr Georges Vaau, a surgeon & avid collector, his work which had previously been rejected, was exhibited at the Exposition Universal in 1900 Wikip .
Circle; Camille Pissaro at Auvers-sur-Oise during the 1870s. His friends were Van Gogh & Paul Gaschet who became a good customer Wikip
Repute: He is not itemised in the Grove Dictionary
-VILLERS, Marie-Denise, 1774-1821, Marie-Victoire Lemoine & Marie Elizabeth Gabou’s sister, France; Neo-Classicist
Background: Born Paris Wikip
Training: Francois Gerard & David Wikip
Influences: Marie-Victoire Lemoine L&L
Career: In 1794 she married an architecture student Michel-Jean-Maximilien Villers who supported her art at a time when many married women had to give up professional painting. She first exhibited at the Salon in 1799 Wikip
Oeuvre/Speciality: Genre & female portraits L&L
Characteristics: Her works are carefully crafted & feature the play of light as in Charlotte du Val d’Ognes, 1801 (The Met) webimages
-VILLON/DUCHAMP, Jacques/Gaston, 1875-1963, Marcel Duchamp’s brother, France:
Background: He was born in Danville, Normandy, the son of a lawyer OxDicMod
Training: He learned engraving from his maternal grandfather & at the Academie Julian, around 1905 Grove32 p576
Career: In 1894 he went to Paris to study law but soon turned to art & worked mainly as a newspaper illustrator. He helped found the Salon d’Automne, 1903. From 1905 he devoted more attention to painting, which from 1910 was his main concern. In 1906 he had moved to Puteaux, a Parisian suburb, where Frantisek Kupka became a close neighbour. In 1910 he joined the Puteaux group of Cubists, in 1911 he helped found Section d’Or, & in 1913 exhibited, & sold, nine works at the Armory Show. During the 1920s he mainly earned his living from print-making. He participated in Abstraction-Creation. During the 1930s he worked in almost complete isolation & spent most of the war years living in the country OxDicMod, Grove32 pp 576-8
Oeuvre: Paintings, graphic art & design OxDocMod
Phases/Characteristics: Initially he worked in a Neo-Impressionist style but in 1911 began experimenting with Cubism. After the War his work featured a new & systematic use of colour in his austere & pure abstract paintings. However, he largely turned to making prints until a burst of painting activity during the early 1930s. His Abstraction-Creation works were his most lyrical abstracts. Having become interested in landscape in the mid1930s, during a trip to Provence, he alternated during the war period between intimate pictures of farm life & abstract & sometimes grandiose landscapes OxDicMod, Grove32 pp 576-8
Reception: For most of the interwar period he was probably better known in America than in Europe but after 1945 he obtained substantially better recognition OxDicMod
Grouping: Salon Cubism & abstract painting A&L p18, Grove32 p576
Vinci. See Leonardo
*VINCKBOONS, David, 1676-1632, Netherlands (Belgium):
..VINTON, Frederic/Frederick, 1846-1911; USA
Background: He was born at Bangor, Maine Wikip
Training: Part-time under William Rimmer at the Lowell Institute, Boston from 1864; worked under the portrait painter Leon Bonnat in Paris from 1875; studied in Munich; returned to Paris & entered Jen-Paul Laurens’ atelier, 1877 Wikip, NGArtinP p262
Career: He grew up in Chicago, moved to Boston in 1861, worked as a bookkeeper; after training established a successful portrait-painting practice, 1878; made a trip to France & sought innovative landscape painters including Eugene Boudin, Alfred Sisley & Pissarro 1889-90. He was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design, 1891 Wikip, NGArtinP p262
Oeuvre: Landscapes & portraits which were his speciality Wikip
Characteristics: His portraits which were mostly dark & dramatic likenesses of men were similar to those of Velazquez & Bonnat; together with landscapes at Barbizon of an Impressionist type as in The Loing at Grez, 1890 (Museum of Fine arts, Boston) NGArtinP pp 135, 138, 262, webimages
Phases: He probably first encountered Impressionism through Sargent whom he met in Boston, 1887 NGArtinP p262
Grouping: The Boston School Wikip
Vitale. See de Bologna
-VITI, Timoteo, 1469-1523, Italy=Urbino:
Background: He was born in Urbino & his father & grandfather were painters Wikip
Training: Francia L&L
Influences: Raphael Wikip
Career: In 1495 he returned to Urbino & following Santi, Raphael’s father, became court painter. During the early1500s he worked in the Marches & as far south as Siena. Around 1514 he was part of Raphael’s team at the Cigi Chapel in Santa Maria della Pace n Rome executing Raphael’s designs Wikip
Phases: In his later works he rejected Raphael’s influence & looked back to late 15th century art Wikip
Pupil or Friend::Raphael L&L, Wikip
* Alvise VIVARINI, c1430-c1504, Antonio’s son, Italy=Venice:
Training: Bartolomeo Brigstocke
Influences: Da Messina & Giovanni Bellini Murrays1959
Career: He inherited the family business. From 1488 he worked on the Doge’s Palace & then painted major Venetian altarpieces; after 1500 his capacity for work was impaired by illness. He died poor & in debt Steer p37, L&L, Grove32 p657
Oeuvre: Altarpieces, sacra conversazione, other religious works & a few portraits Grove32 p657, L&L
Phases: He softened his colours perhaps under Perugino’s influence L&L
Characteristics/Innovations: His figures have substance being solid forms in space & dramatic expression conveyed through movement that is more vigourous than in late Bellini as in his Risen Christ, 1498 (S. Giovanni in Bragora, Venice) in which the figure is defined by light, & endowed with great purity & a fresh spiritual meaning. In his work the linear qualities of the 1470s are replaced by a broader more volumetric style, & in his Portrait of a Middle-aged Man, 1497 (NG) he anticipated the more dynamic work of the 16th century by showing the sitter’s hand & emphasising the turn of the body Grove32 pp 657-8, L&L
Status: He was a fully Renaissance artist Steer p37
Influenced: His religious compositions interested &/or influenced Giorgione, Titian, Lotto & Paris Bordone L&L
* Antonio VIVARINI, before 1430-after1476, Bartolomeo’s brother , Italy=Venice:
– Bartolomeo VIVARINI, c1430-c1499, Antonio’s brother, Italy=Venice:
*VLAMINCK, Maurice de, 1876-1958, France
Volaire. See de volaire
Volpedo. See Da Volpedo
Volterra. See da Volterra
Volterrano. See Il Volterrano
von Carolsfeld. See Schnorr von Carolsfeld
von Kaulbach. See Kaulbach
-von Kobell See Kobell, Wilhelm:
von Kulmbach. See Kulmbach
von Lenbach. See Lenbach
von Lofftz. See Lofftz
von Menzel. See Menzel
von Wrefkin. See Wrefkin
..VONNOH, Robert, 1858-1933:
-VORSTERMANN, Lucas, 1595-1675:
*VOUET, Simon, 1590-1649, France; Baroque
-VRANX/VRANCX, Sebastiaen, 1573-1647, Belgium, Antwerp:
Background: Born Antwerp the son of a merchant Grove32 p722,
Training: He was apprenticed in the workshop of Adam Van Noort Wikip
Influences: Jan Brugel the Elder & Mannerism for his early work, & probably the early work of Paul Bril who was working in Rome L&L, Grove32 p723
Career: Around 1593 he went to Italy & joined the Antwerp Guild of St Luke in 1600, becoming dean of its painters’ chamber in 1611. He was invited to join a society of Antwerp humanists, was an active member of a chamber of rhetoric & also in the local militia of which from 1626 he the captain L&L, Wikip
Oeuvre: Battle scenes featuring horses; landscapes; domestic, banquet & village scenes; city views, church interiors; paintings of the four season; & works featuring robbers, soldiers plundering, & monkeys dressed in costumes; also design work L&L, Brigstocke, Wikip
Characteristics: Throughout his career he had a liking for stimulating detail, for colourfully dressed figures & for decorative landscapes Grove32 p723
Phases: From 1610 he developed a more modern & individual style with better representation of space & more complex figure groups, etc. From the 1630s his tonalities were pearlier, his trees less compact but more dynamic, & his landscapes panoramic as in Festival of the ‘Hail-cross’ at Ekeren, 1633 (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) L&L,Wikip
Innovation: He pioneered battle scenes in Low Country painting Wikip
Pupil: Peter Snayers & Balthasar Courtois Wikip
Followers: Pieter Meuloener, Jacques Van der Wijen, Adam Frans Van der Meulen; & in The Netherlands Esias Van de Velde & Pauwels Van Hillegaert Wikip
Grouping: Baroque Wikip
Vredeman. See de Vries
-VREL, Jacobus, active 1654-62, Netherlands= Delft:
Background: He was born at Drammen in Norway Norman1977
Training: At the Copenhagen Academy under Lorentzen; & private tuition from Eckerberg Norman1977, Kent p56
Career: During 1834-7 he was in Paris, Italy, Greece & Turkey, & between 1839 & 1842 in Italy. He became a member of the Copenhagen Academy,1838; & taught there from 1844 Norman1977
Oeuvre: Biedermeier genre & landscape Norman 1977
Characteristics: His work was narrative & anecdotal; & he used strong light & shadows Kent p36
Style: He painted some Luminist works Wilmerding pp 226-7
Vriendt. See Floris / Vries. See de Vries
–Cornelis VROOM, c1590-1661, Netherlands, Hendrick’s son, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Influences: Elsheimer & Esias van de Velde on his landscapes L&L, Haak p240
Career: In 1627 he was at the English court Haak p241
Oeuvre: Landscapes, especially forest views anticipating Jacob van Ruisdael L&L
Phases/Characteristics: Initially he painted sea battles where he did not slavishly follow his father. After 1620 Vroom exclusively painted landscapes with increasing attention to different types of trees Haak p241
Status: His poetic, unpretentious compositions earned him an exceptional place among Haarlem landscapists Haak p241
-Hendrick Cornrlisz VROOM, 1566-1640, Cornelis’ father, Netherlands, Haarlem:
Career: extensive travels; c1590 returns to Haarlem L&L
Training: Paulus Bril Rome Haak p170
Oeuvre: Ship portraiture L&L
Career: He travelled widely painting pottery but settled in Haarlem about 1590 Haak p170
Oeuvre: Shipping paintings, some beech scenes & townscapes, tapestry design Haak p171
Characteristics: He painted large, detailed & multicoloured depictions of ships, fleets & sea battles usually celebrating the Netherlands. Ships are seen from a high vantage point L&L, Rose1969 p187.
Verdict: His skies are unsubtle & his seas often too green, but he successfully captured varying sea conditions Haak p179
First: The first specialist marine painter who introduced a new, realistic approach to ships & naval engagements L&L, Haak p179
Collections: Rijksmuseum
-Hendrick Cornrlisz VROOM, 1566-1640, Cornelis’ father, Netherlands, Haarlem:
Career: extensive travels; c1590 returns to Haarlem L&L
Training: Paulus Bril Rome Haak p170
Career: He travelled widely painting pottery but settled in Haarlem about 1590 Haak p170
Oeuvre: Shipping paintings, some beech scenes & townscapes, tapestry design Haak p171
Characteristics: He painted large, detailed & multicoloured depictions of ships, fleets & sea battles usually celebrating the Netherlands. Ships are seen from a high vantage point L&L, Rose1969 p187.
Verdict: His skies are unsubtle & his seas often too green, but he successfully captured varying sea conditions Haak p179
First: The first specialist marine painter who introduced a new, realistic approach to ships & naval engagements L&L, Haak p179
Collections: Rijksmuseum
**VRUBEL, Mickhail, 1856-1910, Russia; Symbolism/Aestheticism:
Background: He was born at Omsk, the son of a military lawyer 50Rus p183. His Polish father’s career in the Russian army gave him an unsettled & uprooted childhood Norman1977.
Training: Initially law at St Petersburg University, & then at the Academy of Arts under Pavel Chistyakov & Repin, 1880-4 50Rus p183, Gray p33
Influences: The Byzantine mosaics & early Venetian paintings which he saw in Venice,1884-5, when visiting in preparation for restoration work in Kiev Norman 1977. At Abramtsevo, where he ran the ceramics workshop, Vrubel developed an interest in national traditions & folk art 50Rus p185. Mikhail Lermonotov’s poem The Demon had a great impact. Here a quasi-supernatural being loves the beautiful Tamara, arranges for her fiancé’s assassination by bandits & then seduces her in a convent retreat. She then dies & he despairs GibsonM pp 177, 180
Career: Around 1883 he went to Kiev where he restored the murals in S. Cyril Church & painting four new frescos. He also made watercolour studies for murals at S. Vladimir Cathedral, but these were rejected. It was in Kiev that he first showed sign of mental illness. In 1889 he returned to Moscow & during 1891-2 made an Italian trip. The range of his activities considerable widened due to the support of Mamontov. He made stage designs for his private opera & worked at Abramtsevo. During the 1890s he made many folklore & Demon paintings as well as painting portraits. His demon paintings evolved from beautiful & semi-naturalistic as in Seated Demon, 1890 to the contorted & crushed Demon Downcast1902 (both Tretyakov). During 1902-4 he was seriously mentally ill &, after a short recovery, was from 1905 confined to hospital. He continued to work but in 1906 he went blind. He died in an asylum 50Rus pp 184-8, GibsonM p180, OxDicMod, Grove32 pp 735-6, Hamilton1954 p399
Oeuvre: Monumental murals, easel paintings, scenery, graphic art, portraits, & also sculpture 50Rus p183
Beliefs: He referred to “that intimate national note” that he wanted capture. It was the music of an integrated, unfractured man from the “pale West” 50Rus p185. He wrote in 1890 about his “mania” to say something new about technique. He had criticised Repin in 1883 for trying to impress the spectator with his ideas & said that a spiritual approach was necessary when painting Gray pp 31-4, 277
Innovations: He was a pioneer of modernism with a highly innovative technique. For Vrubel composition & colour were not merely instruments for communicating meaning but were themselves meaningful. Art now had an essentially aesthetic purpose: art for art’s sake Grove32 p735, Hamilton1954 p399
Verdict: He was the only member of his generation who successfully achieved the monumentality at which so many painters were aiming Grove32 p735
Patronage: He was commissioned to paint wall decorations for the new Art Noveau houses in Moscow for which his monumental works were ideally suited Grove32 p736
Status: He was the outstanding Russia Symbolist & his work did not have the social conscience of the Wanderers’ social conscience OxDicMod, Grove32 p735
Circle: Rimsky-Korsakov & Serov at the Academy, etc 50Rus p185, Gray p33
Personal: He was an independent & solitary figure, though in 1896 he married OxDicMod, Grove32 p737.
**VUILLARD, Jean Edward, 1868-1940, France:
Background: He was born at Cuiseaux, Saone–et-Loire. His mother & elder sister where dressmakers & he was brought up in modest circumstances Grove32 p738
Training: At the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Gerome & Bouguereau, & then at the Academie Julian Norman1977
Influences: 17th century Dutch artists, Chardin, Japanese prints & the plays of Ibsen & Maeterlink. These were reflected in his circumscribed domestic interiors Grove32 pp 738-9, Norman 1977, Denvir p166. His sensitive patterning & flattish colours owed something to Gauguin OxDicMod
Career: The family moved to Paris when he was ten & he went to the prestigious Lycée Condorcet, with Maurice Denis & Ker-Xavier Roussel. With Bonnard, Serusir & Vallotton, who were fellow Julian students, he joined the Nabis in 1889. However, he participated more through friendship than conviction. Commissions to paint panels were received from Paul Desmaris, a cousin of the Natansons, in 1892; from Alexandre Nathanson in 1894; from Dr Henri Vaquez in 1896; & from Jean Schopfer in 1898. From the early 1900s Bernheim-Jeune became his dealer with a consequent extension of his work into portraiture, & landscape, mostly inspired by holidays in Normandy & Brittany. Between 1908 & 1913 he painted further decorative panels. After the War he seldom exhibited except with Bernheim-Jeune. During the War he ended as a war artist & subsequently mainly concentrated on portraiture. He lived with his mother until her death in 1928. With Roussel he produced decorative paintings for the Palais des Nations in Geneva, 1936, & the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, 1937 Grove32 pp 738-40, Denvir p185, OxDicMod, Norman1977
Oeuvre: Paintings & also fine colour lithographs, posters & theatrical sets Norman1977, OxDicMod
Technique: He employed Pintura a la Colle/distemper, which is water-based paint mixed with glue (Colle) for some panel painting during the 1890s & after about 1900 for most of his work. Because of its rapid drying time he was able to place layer on layer & build up thickly encrusted areas where he so desired Lucie-S2003 pp 74, 164, Grove23 p741
Speciality: Intimite domestic interiors often in artificial light Norman1977
Phases: During 1890 he made his firm bold experiment with in Synthecist painting at first using bright, often arbitrary colours but by 1892 they were muted. His early work conveys a strong feeling of mystery. From about 1900 his work became more three-dimensional, possibly because of increasing use of photos. He lightened his palette, developed an almost Impressionistic luminosity, & his work became more nervously linear Grove32 pp 739-41.
Characteristics: Like Bonnard he used strong, flat colours with marked elements of caricature which increasingly were less the expression of feeling & more the imposition of pleasing patterns Denvir p182.
Circle: He was through the Nathanson in close contact with Toulouse-Lautrec Denvir p32. Lucy Hessel, the wife of a partner at Bernheim-Jeune, became a close friend & he increasingly spent time in in their entourage with actors, playwrights & businessmen Grove32 p740.
Status: From about 1900 he was the main painter of Intimism OxDicMod
Grouping: Post-Impressionism Denvir p 51
*WADSWORTH, 1889-1949, GB:
Background: He was born at Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, the son of a wealthy industrialist OxDicMod Training: At the Bradford School of Art, 1906, & the Slade 1908-12, where he belonged to Neo-Primitive coterie Shone1977 p234, OxDicMod, Harrison p65
Influences: Cubism OxDicMod
Career: He took up painting while studying engineering in Munich, 1906-7. During 1912-3 he was included in the second Post-Impressionist Exhibition. In 1913 he worked at the Omega Workshops but left with Wyndham Lewis, joined the Vorticists, & was a founder member of the London Group. He joined the Rebel Art Centre in 1914. During the war he helped design camouflage. He contributed to Abstraction-Creation in 1933 & was a founder member of Unit One OxDicMod, Shone1977 p234, Harrison p74, TurnerEtoPM p235.
Oeuvre: Paintings, prints & designs OxDicMod
Specialty: Marine subjects where he developed a distinctive type of still-life OxDicMod.
Phases: Around 1922 he switched from oils to tempera & adopted a more naturalistic style. In about 1933 he painted some abstracts OxDicMod
Characteristics: His works have a Surrealist flavour due to oddities of scale & juxtaposition, & hypnotically clear lighting OxDicMod.
Influenced His friend Hillier during the latter 1930s E&L p94
Reception: His craftsmanship was admired even by those who were not avant-garde OxDicMod
..WAGNER, Sandor/Alexander Von, 1838-1919, Germany (Hungary):
Background: He was born in Pesth Wikip
Training: At the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, under Henrik Weber; & 1856-64 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, under Piloty Wikip
Career: From 1869 to 1910 he was professor of history painting at the Munich Academy Wikip
Oeuvre: History paintings & scenes of Hungarian life Hungary Wikip
Grouping: National Romanticism of a mature form Grove14 p901
..WAINEWRIGHT, Thomas Griffiths, 1794-1847, England/Australia:
Background: He was born at Richmond into affluence Wikip
Training: John Linnell & Thomas Philips Wikip
Influences: Fuseli’s attenuated & elaborately costumed women Myrone p71
Career: He served briefly in a yeomanry regiment having brought a commission but had a severe mental illness. In 1819 he embarked on a successful literary career & from 1821 to 1825 exhibited at the RA. Due to profligacy & financial difficulties Wainwright engaged in frauds & may have been a poisoner. In 1837 he was transported to Tasmania. While a prisoner he painted portraits in the homes of his subjects. He was granted a conditional pardon in 1846 Wikip
Oeuvre: Over 100 portraits of the Hobart elite on paper using wash, pencil & ink Wikip
Verdict: Simpering watercolours of elegant Hobart ladies, though some think they have the faces of Belles Dames Sans Merci Hughes1966 p42
..WAITE, Edward, 1854-1924, England:
Career: He lived in Blackheath, Reigate & Dorking. He exhibited at the RA from 1878 & was an RBA WoodDic
Oeuvre: Landscapes WoodDic
Characteristics: His work conveys felling with its spring flowers, summer meadows & autumn colours Wood1999 pp 82, 84
Verdict: His work stands out from the run of mid-Victorian landscape Wood1999 p82
Repute: He is not itemised in the Grove Dictionary
*WALDMULLER, Ferdinand, 1793-1865, Austria:
Background: He was born in Vienna. He came of peasant stock & his father was a butler & innkeeper Norman1977 & 1987 p58
Training: At the Vienna Academy with frequent break in order to earn his living Norman1987 p58
Influences: For his large-scale portraits the classicists Fuger & Lampi Norman1987 p58
Career: Theatrical design & scene painting in Agram, Prado, & Brno. In 1817 he returned to Vienna & painted his first portraits & landscapes. During 1822 he had his first exhibitions Norman1977. A commission for a portrait of the Emperor, 1827, brought him further portrait work Grove32 p776. In 1829 he became a professor at the Academy where he battled to replace its dead Classicism by Realism, which led to his temporary dismissal 1857-64. Walmussler made frequent sketching tours to Italy Norman1987 pp 58, 61
Phases: He began by painting miniatures to make money & between 1827 & the early 1840s his work was dominated by portraiture but he also painted flower paintings & from 1830 a long series of landscapes. From about 1840 he largely shifted to genre. In his landscapes small enclosed views were replaced by spacious vistas Norman1987 pp 58, 6, Grove32 p 777, Novotny p198
Characteristics/Phases: His portraits that were Ingres-like but were less idealised. He did not compose views but painted what he saw. It was usually sunlit, & from around 1840 featured happy peasants Norman1987 p58, Norman 1977. His landscapes have dazzlingly clarity due to his delighted discovery of a certain [but unspecified] quality of sunlight producing sharply define shadows. During his last years Walmuller sometimes used a looser, flaky technique in his landscapes & genre, but only in his two final landscapes is there a change to a gentle veiling which produces a moving, dreamy tranquillity Novotny pp198-201.
Aim: He believed that the study of nature was the only aim of painting: the rejection of every idealistic & Romantic tendency. This he declared in a polemical fashion that made enemies & was strictly embodied in his landscapes. In spirit they are like those of the early Corot but are achieved not by means of summary simplification but despite their minute detailing Novotny pp 195-7.
Verdict: He was the greatest Austrian Biedermier artist Norman1987 p58
..Dame Ethel WALKER, 1861-1951, England:
Background: She was born in Edinburgh, the daughter of a prosperous Yorkshire iron-founder & his Scottish wife. Her family’s circumstances meant she did not need to support herself OxDicMod, Rothenstein p80
Training: The Putney School of Art; the Slade under Frederick Brown, 1892-4; evening classes under Sickert; & intermittent return to the Slade until 1921 partly to study sculpture Rothenstein p81, OxDicMod
Influences: Veelazquez’s blend of realism and myth; Manet and the Impressionists
Career: Around 1870 the family moved from Rotherham to Wimbledon. She visited Spain & France where, prompted by George Moore, she first saw the work of Manet & the Impressionists. In 1898 she joined NEAC where she was the first female member and chiefly exhibited Rothenstein p81, McConkey2006 p59 Grove32p794
Oeuvre: Portraits of young girls, flower pieces, interiors & agitated seascapes from the Yorkshire coast Rothenstein pp 83-4, OxDicMod
Phases/Characteristics: Initially she painted solidly modelled figures in sombrely lit Victorian interiors. They were tonal works painted in a bold style in which the paint was easily handled. During the early 1900s, under the influence of French Symbolism & Puvis de Chevannes, she painted large decorative, Golden Age works in a full, gentle light populated by evocative & shimmering forms. However, the bulk of her work continued to represent the visible world but was no longer tonal but painted in delicate & brilliant colour with an emphasis on surface design. Here & in her imaginary compositions she used an Impressionist technique of small disjoined brushstrokes of pure colour without subsequent retouching as in The Garden Bench (NT Fenton House, London) Rothenstein pp 82-3, OxDicMod
Beliefs/Personal: She was courageous, energetic, self-absorbed, & was fascinated by theosophy & believed in reincarnation, regarding herself as the last of a long line. Hence her unquestioning belief in her own greatness McConkey2006 pp136-7, Rothenstein pp 78, 80
Status: She was an outstanding women artist of her period OxDicMod
..Frederick WALKER, Frederick, 1840-75, England; Troubadour Movement
Background: He was born in London WoodDic
Training: At Leigh’s Academy & the RA Schools, 1858 WoodDic
Career: He worked for a wood engraver for three years but in 1860 began to contribute drawing to Once a Week & in 1861 to the Cornhill Magazine. In 1863 he began exhibiting at the RA & in 1864 had great success at the Old Watercolour Society. He died of consumption WoodDic
Oeuvre: Watercolours & oils OxDicArt
Characteristics: Most of his works are a poetic evocation of the pastoral life. His figures are statuesque & his paintings are often allegorical with their contrasts of youth & age or life & death. Instead of the dry, minutiae of the Pre-Raphaelites, his watercolours produce a suggestively veiled effect through detailed painting that is partly erased Treuherz1993 p187
Verdict: He was a superb watercolourist Treuherz1993 p187
Grouping: He belonged to the St John’s Wood Clique & was later classed as an Idyllist TurnerRtoI p324, Treuherz p187
Influence: Through his work on the Graphic he influenced a whole generation, including Van Gogh. His scenes of peasants in a landscape, treated with grace & pathos, had considerable influence Wood1988 p30
..John WALKER, John, 1939-, England:
Background: He was born in Birmingham OxDicMod
Training: 1955-60 at the Birmingham School of Art; 1960-1 at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, Paris OxDicMod
Characteristics: His work is predominantly abstract but with ambiguous effects of space & volume. There are also references to art history with the Juggernaut series of the early 1970s suggesting the jagged planes of Cubist collage & Numinous series of 1977-8 the balcony paintings of Goya, Manet & Matisse. His work is much concerned with texture & sometimes contains collaged pieces of canvas etc producing a battered effect OxDicMod
Career: From 1970 he has mostly worked in America & has spent time in Australia OxDicMod
-Robert WALKER, Robert, c1605-58, England:
Teacher: Possibly Van Dyke L&L
Influences: Van Dyke on whom he often relied for composition & colour. Also the Titians which he copied in the royal collection Grove32 p797, Waterhouse1953 pp 87-8
Oeuvre: He painted Cromwell & Protectorate figures L&L
Characteristics: His heads are sometimes austerely sincere while the bodies of the Parliamentarians are incongruously like those of Van Dyke. Walker’s use of paint was impersonal & he lacked a feeling for colour. His work was uneven W&M p77, Grove32 p797
Patronage: He was the Parliamentarians’ favourite portraitist Hill p185
Verdict: He was generally dull & derivative OxDicArt
.. William Aiken WALKER, 1938-1921, USA:
Background: Born Charleston, South Carolina Grove32 p798
Career: He was brought up in Baltimore & Charleston & had his first one-man exhibition at 20. In 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate army, was wounded & then mapped the defence works in Charleston. He left for Baltimore in 1868. After trips to Cuba & Europe he worked in the South, primarily in New Orleans, but visited tourist areas in the Carolinas & Florida each year.
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Landscapes & still-lifes, usually small-scale & often showing blacks engaged on domestic chores or in the cotton fields, their carefully delineated static forms arrayed across the picture under bright even daylight Grove32 p798
Status: Along with Richard Clague, 1821-73, & Joseph Rusling, 1827-89, he is considered a leading painter of the American South in the late 19th century Grove32 p798
*WALLIS, Alfred, 1855-1942, GB
Background: He was born in Devonport, the son of a master paver ShearerW1996
Career: He went to sea as a cabin boy & cook aged nine. In 1880 he became a fisherman & in 1890 opened a rag-&-bone store in St Ives. He then did odd jobs & sold ice-cream. After his wife’s death, he began painting in 1925 & was discovered by Ben Nicholson & Christopher Wood in 1928. His work was exhibited at the 7+5 Society. He died in a workhouse OxDicMod, ShearerW1996
Oeuvre: Paintings of sailing ships & townscapes on odd scraps of cardboard. He usually employed ship’s paint & painted from memory & imagination OxDicMod, L&L
Characteristics: His paintings disregard perspective, modelling or light & shade. They have an unselfconscious narrative intensity L&L
Grouping: He was a naïve painter OxDicMod
Reception: He was & is seen as Britain’s finest naïve painter OxDicMod, L&L
Collection: Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
–WALS, Geoffredo, c1600-95, Italy (Germany):
Background: He was born in Cologne Grove32 p 826
Influences: Elsheimer Grove32 p827
Career: He went to Naples when young , worked in Rome with Agostino Tassi during 1616-8. This was followed by periods in Naples, Genoa, Savona & Naples again Grove32 p826
Oeuvre: Paintings, drawings & prints Grove32 p826
Characteristics: He favoured small circular landscapes with simple features such farm buildings on a river bank, overgrown ruins in the Compagne & quiet country roads. He painted in a subdued palette of blues, greys & greens. Compositions were highly sophisticated, which depend on the beauty of simplified shapes & patterns of light & dark Grove32 p 826.
Repute: Although well known in the 17th century, he was forgotten until the 1960s Grove32 p826
Pupil: Claude L&L
.. E(dward) A(rthur) WALTON, 1860-1922, Scotland:
Background: He was in born Renfrewshire the son of an amateur painter who was comfortably off Flemings p80
Training: The Dusseldorf Academy & Glasgow School of Art Flemings p80
Influences: Corot, Bastien-Lepage , Whistler Flemings pp 80, 82, MacmillanD1990 p259, Grove32 p834
Career: He was elected to the Glasgow Art Club in 1878, & began his enduring & creative relationship with James Guthrie. Soon they were joined by Joseph Crawhall whose sister had recently married into the Walton family. They painted at Roseneth on Gare Loch, 1880; at Brig o’Turk in the Trossachs, 1881; & at Crowland in Lincolnshire , 1882. Walton & Guthrie discovered Cockburns path in Berwickshire in 1883 & here they painted in summer with excursions to Worcestershire & Somerset . In 1887 he joined NEAC, & in 1893 Walton moved to London where he lived near Whistler in Cheyne Walk & became his trusted associate. In 1904 he settled in Edinburgh & in 1905 became a member of the Royal Scottish Academy Flemings pp 80, 82, Grove32 p834
Oeuvre: Landscapes, portraits & during the late 1880s & 1890s murals. He concentrated after 1885 on pastel & watercolour with oil reserved largely for portraits Flemings pp 80,82, Grove32 p834
Phases: From the early 1880s he developed his innate ability to integrate the disparate elements of a landscape into a balance unity of tone & colour. This he did by working over the whole paint surface at every stage. His lyrical & atmospheric landscape style featured dappled light & contrasting patches of shadow. His portraits were painted in a Whistlerian style & became his chief source of income but he continued to produce un-commissioned figure & landscape works as much for pleasure as profit Flemmings p82, Grove32 p834, Billcliffe p302.
Grouping: The Glasgow Boys Grove32 p834
..Henry WALTON, 1746-1813, England:
Background: He was born at Dickleburgh Grove32 p835
Training: Zoffany around 1769 & then the Maiden Lane Academy Grove32 p835
Influences: Obviously Chardin, Greuze, Murillo Waterhouse1953 p290, Sitwell p49
Career: He settled at Burgate in Suffolk in 1779 & provided advice for collectors Grove32 p835
Oeuvre: Conversations in which he specialised, genre & latterly portraits Grove32 p835
Characteristics: He was in at least some of his works an exceptional colourist, his figures are painted with warmth & intimacy & they are well related to to the landscapes Grove32 p835
Verdict: He painted a few genres of surprising perfection Waterhouse1953 p290
Innovations: The restoration of Old Masters Sitwell p49
..WAPPERS, Baron (Egidius Karel) Gustaf, 1803-1874, Netherlands:
Background: He born at Antwerp Norman1977
Training: At the Antwerp Academy under Van Bree Norman1977
Influences: Rubens & then De la Croix & the new generation of romantic history painters Norman1977
Career: He lived in Paris between 1826 & 1829. He sprang to prominence with his patriotic Burgomaster van der Werff of 1830, followed by the even more successful Episode from the Belgian Revolution of 1830, 1834. However his later work was less popular. Wappers became a professor at the Antwerp Academy in 1832 & was its director 1840-53. He then settled in Paris Norman1977
Oeuvre: History, genre & portraits Norman1977
Characteristics/Verdict: His work was mediocre Grove32 pp852-3
Innovations: He broke with the French classicist tradition that had dominated Belgian painting since David’s exile & in 1834 launched the Belgian Colourists Norman1977
Pupils: Alma-Tadema Grove 32 p853
.. E(dward) M(atthew) WARD, 1816-79; Troubadour Movement
Background: He was born in Pimlico, London Grove32 p855
Training : At the RA Schools,1835 Grove32 p855
Career: During 1836-9 he was in Rome , visited Munich on the way. He made his name with scenes from Dr Johnson’s life & scored a success in 1847 with South Sea Bubble, a Scene in Change Alley in 1720 Treuhetz1993 p25. He became an RA in 1855. By the late 1860s his style was becoming unfashionable & in 1874 he suffered a nervous disorder, possibly committing suicide WoodDic, Grove32 p855
Oeuvre: Historical genre using French & English subjects, & literary subjects WoodDic
Characteristics: His compositions can be elaborate but he had a sure sense of style, had immaculate smooth brushwork, & a rather hot palette. He emphasised touching & melodramatic episodes WoodDic
Status: One of the most popular Victorian historical painters WoodDic
Patrons: Between around 1855 & 65 by the royal family & Robert Vernon Grove32 p855
Wife: His wife Henrietta was a painter WoodDic
– James WARD, 1769-1859, brother-in-law of George Morland, England:
Background: He was born in London &his father managed a large wholesale fruiterer & cider business in Thames Street where the family lived. It was a foul, unhealthy & dangerous neighbourhood Grundy pp x-xi
Training: As an engraver by his brother & John Raphael Smith Grove32 p856
Influences: Until around 1803 Morland’s genre scenes & subsequently Rubens’ rich colouring, though the influences on his work were diverse Grove32 p856, OxDicArt
Career: He was in great demand around 1800, although he began working in oils around 1790. He became an RA in 1811. From 1809 he painted portraits of thoroughbred horses in which their masters were symbolised. Between 1815 & 1821 he largely worked on a gigantic composition celebrating Waterloo but it was not a success, & is now lost. During he 1820s he produced successful & provocative works, but became increasingly disillusioned with the art world. However, he continue to paint, his works often having religious themes or containing overt moral messages Grove32 p856 .
Oeuvre: Animal paintings, landscapes, genre & portraits Grove32 p 856
Characteristics: Vigorous brushwork & strong colours Grove 32 p856
Status: He was the most important animal painter of his time Grove32 p856
Feature: His Gordale Scar, around 1813 is one of the finest visualizations of the sublime Grove23 p 856
Admirers: Delacroix, Gericault OxDicArt
.. John WARD, 1917-2007, England:
Background: He was born at Hereford, the son of an antiques dealer OxDicMod
Training: At the Royal College of Art under Barnett Freedman etc OxDicMod
Career: He served in the Royal Engineers during Second World War & then settled in Kent. Until 1952 he was an illustrator for Vogue, He became a fashionable portraitist. In 1962 he was invited to sketch at Balmoral & he taught Charles in Venice. After becoming an RA in 1967, he resigned in 1997 he resigned in protest at the Sensation Exhibition which included works by Tracey Emin etc OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings & illustrations OxDicMod
Speciality: Royal portraits OxDicMod
Characteristics: He had a penchant for glamour & produced establishment work OxDicMod
Beliefs: Pretty women hardest to paint because their facial lines are unclear OxDicMod
**WARHOL, Andy, 1928-1987, USA:
Background: He was born in Pittsburgh to Czech immigrant parents OxDicMod. His work was produced within the context of the enormous post –war growth in the exposure of the American public to advertising because of television, the surge in the number of major collectors, & the consequent boom in art prices Doss pp154-5. Another factor was a growth in violence. This may be dated from 1957 when the National Guard were mobilised to prevent the desegregation of a public school at Little Rock, Arkansas, & President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to uphold the court order. An even more significant milestone came in 1962 when a lengthy campus riot against the admission of a black student at the University of Mississippi was suppressed by federal troops JenkinsP pp 263-4
Training: At the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, 1945-9 OxDicMod
Career: In 1949 he settled in New York. During the 1950s he was a successful commercial artist. In 1962 he produced repeated stencilled images of dollar bills, Coca-Cola bottles, & Campbell’s soup cans; & soon after similar images of Marilyn Monroe & other notables. Around 1963 he began a gruesome series of car crashes & other daily disasters as seen in newspaper photos & during 1963-4 he produced a Race Riot series. From 1963 he made an action-less, long & to begin with, silent film. He ran a night club & a rock band. In 1968 he was shot & seriously injured. He subsequent produced society portraits. During the late 1980s he returned to painting by hand & his last works included several paintings on religious themes L&L, OxDicMod, Grove32 pp 862-3, Doss p162
Feature: Many of his images are concerned with violence: Mrs Kennedy after the assassination of her husband, Marilyn Monroe after her suicide, race riots, gangster funerals, car accidents, & mg shots of criminals & the electric chair Lucie-S1975 p162
Technique: Warhol’s first Pop works were were hand-painted but in 1962 he began to use the photo-silkscreen process. By inking the screens too heavily & misregistering the the images, he [sometimes] deliberately generated a personal style completely different from that of other Pop artists Doss p157
Workshop: He soon turned over production to The Factory, a collection of hangers-on who also served in his films Murrays 1959
Beliefs: He was against art as craftsmanship or the expression of the artist’s personality. “I want to be a machine,” OxDicArt, Hughes1991 p348. “I don’t think art should be only for the select few, I think it should be for the mass of the American people” MOMAH p260. He was a devout Catholic who revered the capitalist system Grove 32 p863.
Status: He became a cult figure, often dubbed the Pope of Pop ShearerW1996
Circle: After the attempt on his life he distanced himself from the drug addicts, transvestites etc who had formed his entourage & associated primarily with the wealthy & fashionable Grove32 p863
Grouping: Pop Art Doss p154
Innovations/Legacy: He removed everything from the sphere of art except it use for the promotion of celebrity. Warhol did more than any other living painter to turn the art world into the art business. He gutted the concept of an avant-garde by removing its traditional ambitions & tensions & became a popular role model for younger artists Hughes1991 p348-51
Collections; The Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh
..WASMANN, Rudolf, 1805-86, Germany:
Background: He was born in Hamburg Norman1977
Training: The Dresden Academy with the Nazarene artist G.H. Naeke & Cornelius in Munich Norman1977
Influences: Around 1843 by the Belgian Colourists Norman1977
Career: He moved to Munich in 1829 & in I832 to Rome where he came into contact with Overbeck etc & was converted to Catholicism 1835. During 1835-9 he was in Munich &1839-43 in Merano & Bozen where he painted many portraits. In 1843-6 he was in Hamburg but then settled in Merano Norman1977
Oeuvre: Portraits, genre, landscapes & latterly some religious paintings Norman1977, Novotny p218
Speciality: Numerous oil landscape sketches around Merano which are now regarded as pre-Impressionist Norman1977
Characteristics: His portraits have linear Nazarene clarity &, although he often confined himself to conventional formulas, he also painted with penetrating psychological insight Norman1977, Novotny pp 217-8
Circle: The Nazarenes Norman1977
Wassenhove. See Van Ghent
-WATERHOUSE, John (Nino), 1849-1917, England; Aestheticism Movement
Background: He was born in Rome. His father & mother were artists Wood1999 p237
Training: He painted the backgrounds for his father’s portraits Trippi p13. In 1870 he went to the RA Schools, but learned little & his daytime attendance was probably short Wood1999 p237, Trippi p17
Influences: The Pre-Raphaelites & Alma-Tadema L&L,Wood1999 p237
Career: He spent many years of childhood in Italy to which he often returned. In 1873 he began exhibiting at the Dudley Gallery; 1874 RA; debut 1883 married (no children) & moves to Primrose Hill Studios (colony of younger artists); 1895 RA. The 1890s were his greatest period & by 1912 declining health/waning powers Wood1999 pp 237-8, 241-2; Tripp pp 25, 28, 57
Phases: He began by painting ancient genre scenes following Alma-Tadema L&L. His early pictures have aesthetic features with Sleep & His Half-Brother Death, 1874, his first exhibit at the RA, being an ode to beauty & states of consciousness. Here he used cropping & a background window with a view beyond which henceforth were frequent compositional techniques & included cropped figures Trippi pp 29, 31, 34-5. During the 1880s he turned to dreamy sensual subjects L&L, OxDicArt. From the 1890s all his pictures feature women & men only figure as victims Wood1999 p241
Characteristics: His paint handling was rich & sensual, unlike that of the Pre-Raphaelites OxDicArt. He fused Burne-Jones’ aestheticism & Leighton’s Classicism to produce a highly individual & Romantic style, though it had greater Realism. His nymphs & goddesses were real flesh-&-blood people. He depicted many femme fatales. They were not witches but wistful nymphs who lure men to doom because they could not do otherwise Wood1999 pp 236, 238
Personal: He was quiet & retiring & not particularly ambitious for worldly honours Wood1999 p237
Friends: Bramley & Logsdail at the Primrose Hill studios Wood1999 p238
Patrons: They were mostly wealthy financiers & businessmen, including Alexander Henderson /Lord Farringdon, & George MacCulloch, an Australia mining millionaire Wood1999 p241
Status: During the 1880s & 90s his reputation rivalled that of Leighton & Burne-Jones & rose even higher during the Edwardian era Wood1999 p237
Verdict/Grouping: His work is a unique & convincing combination of reality & poetry. He was the greatest of the late Romantics Wood1999 p236
Repute: By the time of his death his reputation was already in serious decline with The Times obituary opining that he was not a great artist Trippi p232. As late as 1969 he was not itemised in the Oxford Companion to Art
-WATSON, Homer, 1858-1936, Canada:
Background: He was born at Doon, Ontario, where his father owned a mill Reid p197
Influences: The late Hudson River style Reid p107
Career: In 1874 he moved to Toronto & in 1876 visited Philadelphia to view art at the Centennial Exhibition & New York where he sketched along the Susquehanna & Hudson Rivers & in the Adirondacks. After returning he set up a studio in Doon but spent time in Toronto. He first exhibited with the Ontario Society of Artists in 1878 to which he was elected in 1879. In 1880 The Pioneer Mill was shown at the first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy & purchased by the Queen, which made him famous. In 1887 he left Doon for England. He returned to Doon around 1890 but often returned to London . After the death of his wife in 1918, he became a spiritualist & although he was still painting in 1929, when he visited the Rockies, he died penniless & forgotten Reid pp 106-13
Oeuvre: Landscapes, scenes of rustic life & etchings L&L, Reid p110
Characteristics/Phases: Before 1887 his work is strong, individual, concerned with the magic of the place. The detail is complex detail & the paintings have the slightly disjoined clarity of a dream vision. During his English trip his art changed. He became preoccupied with style & achieving a unified treatment to convey a sweeping vision. The paint handling is often very beautiful but his works lack the immediacy of experience & only evoke an idealised nostalgia Reid pp 109-11
Patronage: The wealthy railroad contractor James Ross Reid p110
Reception: In London the Goupil Gallery started exhibiting his work Reid p110
***WATTEAU, 1684-1721, Antoine, France; Rococo
Background: He was born in 1684 at Valenciennes, the son of a roofer B-S p134. Valenciennes had until 1678 been part of the Spanish Netherlands Wakefield p24.
Training: From 1700 he was under obscure local painters, Gerin & Metrayer, who were presumably responsible for the distinct traces of northern realistic observation & an ability to capture people in unrehearsed poses, quiet alien to the French academic tradition Wakefield p24. Between about 1704/5 & 1708 he assisted Gillot, who was a satirist, malcontent, & distrusted grandeur. He was able to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary & a painter of theatrical life B-S p28. Watteau became friends with Claude III Audran, who was an ornamental painter, & Watteau entered his workshop as an assistant . Watteau probably had a relatively free hand . Audran was the curator of the Luxembourg to which Wateau now gained entry B-S p28, Grove23 pp 913-4.
Influences: Watteau had the advantage of being an outsider because Valencians was closer to Flemish than to French traditions. He wsa not burdened with the conventions that linger in the work of Coypel & Charles de las Fosse Wakefield p23. Rubens’ Marie de Medicis series at the Luxembourg but for their vitality & not their pageantry. There was also Ruben’s Garden of Love with its stages of love & Venus shrine. Here women were more important than men Levey1966 pp 59. In Watteau’s time the Luxembourg park was full of wild & natural beauty. His painting there inspired the noble clumps of trees in his backgrounds Orpen p332
Career: In 1702 he arrived in Paris & began painting copies for a picture dealer. After parting company with Audran & being deeply disappointed at failing to win the Prix de Rome he went back to Valenciennes in 1709 . This was was then in a war zone & he became a painter of military life L&L, B-S. pp 34, 36, 134, Levey1966 p60. He became a member of the Academy 1717. In 1719 Watteau went to London probably to consult the celebrated doctor Richard Meade about his tuberculosis. He returned to Paris in 1720 & went to live with Gersaint who was a picture dealer Wakefield p31, Grove32 pp 914, 917
Oeuvre: landscapes with figures B-S p110
Technique: Watteau covered his canvas with a thick layer of pigment which he would then dab with minute touches so producing a vibrant effect Orpen p335. He drew incessantly from life capturing gestures, poses, attitudes with lines of rapid & nervous vitality which showed form & movement. Watteau favoured sanguine, often adding black & white chalks. His drawings were not usually for specific paintings & he arranged figures & attitudes from his life studies into scenes. Hence his pictures seldom have clear narratives, despite their lifelike spontaneity H&P p307
Phases: During 1710-16 Watteau is known to have painted 11 military scenes. These were not paintings that glorified war & of a type that had been become popular. They were small scenes of day to day military life in which soldiers are resting or marching. A notable feature is the presence of women & children B-S pp 36-45. Meanwhile Watteau had been painting a series of works which depict actors performing, resting or mingling with others, &he continued to paint such works almost to the end of his life B-S pp 48-63. These paintings overlap with another series which depict men & women in rural settings in which there are great overarching trees or at least embowering foliage. These works appear to begin around 1708 with Fair & Players & then develop until his masterpiece the Pilgrimage to Cythera, 1717, although this did not end the series B-S pp 50-3, 52, 65-9, 75, 83-6, 89-93, 96-7. He also painted some mythological works & erotic works featuring the female nude without any pretence of moral content Grove 32 p917.
Characteristics: His work is intimate, curvilinear & graceful. It is a Realism of visible nature & of human emotions & desires; but unlike Hogarth it is never stagey. The magical dexterity of his paintwork makes his figures untouchable & remote. His paintings convey a feeling of anticipation Kitson1966 p129. [They also frequently impart the feeling that the moment will pass. They are wistful] & have often been described as melancholy [but this is too strong] Grove32 p919.
Beliefs: Watteau’s paintings show that he was critical of the absolutism of Louis XIV. In an early work there is a troupe of Italian actors some of whom are looking at a royal decree of banishment. Although it is a humorous painting Watteau displays his sympathy for the players & his opposition to censorship. Gersaint’s Shop Sign, painted in the year he died, depicts a portrait of Louis that has not been sold being packed up in a crate while a smiling porter looks on. The picture also makes fun of the potential customers in upper classes & is linked to Italian Commedia del ‘Arte which was extremely popular among the lower classes because it poked fun at their no-betters. In other paintings Watteau makes it clear that he sides with the Italians & not with classical French theatre B-S pp 15-9, 23, 28, 31, Wakefield p27.
Subjects: Modern love with it dreams, longings & melancholy Kitson1966 p130
Innovations: [The most striking departure was the fete galante as opposed to the fete champetre. Although they are closely connected the fete galante has the distinguishing feature of showing both intimate & amorous human relationships & the close connection between the world of nature & human beings.] Watteau dispensed with an overt story but showed men & women falling in love where the women need to be courted & had the power to refuse Levey1966 pp 56, 68-9. [By linking the relationship between the sexes with the relationship between human beings & the world of nature he also suggested that love & affection were themselves a feature of the natural order. At a time when marriages were arranged & contracted without love this was no mean development.]
Patrons: Crozat the banker, Julienne, Count Caylus the archaeologist, & the art dealer Gersaint. Watteau received no great official commissions Hauser3 p21, Levey1966 pp 55, 134
Personal: His early biographers agree on Watteau’s gauche behaviour & his cranky, often petulant, treatment of well-intentioned friends & patrons. Watteau lived quietly, was reserved, read voraciously but said nothing about art, & he knew much about music. He never married & had no known love affair. Watteau was an outsider in Paris where he never had a permanent address but stayed with friends. He only noticed rustic areas or those where the city merged with the countryside Wakefield p24, B-S p6
Gossip: On his deathbed he had his nude studies destroyed Wakefield p12
Circle: His later circle included free-thinkers such as Gersaint & Pierre-Maurice Haranger Grove32 p913
Status/Grouping/Verdict: He was the first truly original artist of the 18th century & the central artistic figure in the early French Rococo style Wakefield p23, B-S p28… He was one of greatest draftsmen ever H&P p307
Repute: He was seldom mentioned in contemporary art criticism & then usually reprovingly. When around 1750 critics began insisting that paintings must appeal to the mind his works his works were criticised along with those by Boucher. Diderot rated Watteau lower than Teniers. His critics did not understand the extent to which he was a rebel. However from around 1830 Watteau’s work began to appeal to painters & collectors. In 1856 the Goncourts published their influential essay in which they claimed that his art had a serious purpose Hauser3 p21, Grove32 p919 , Levey1966 p55.
Pupils & Followers: Pater his only pupil, Lancret, Octavien, d Bar, Pesne & Mercier Wakefield p36, Grove32 p919
.Frederick William WATTS, 1800-70, England:
Influences: Profoundly by Constable Norman1977
Career: He was a friend & neighbour of Constable at Hampstead & they went out painting together Wood1999 p76. He exhibited at the RA from 1821 to 1860 Norman1977
Oeuvre: He was a prolific landscape painter Norman1977
Characteristics: Despite his debt to Constable he had a distinct style & colouring WoodDic
Status: He was somewhat overshadowed by Constable Norman1977
Repute: The 20th century saw a new interest in his work Norman1977
*George Frederic WATTS, 1817-1904, England:
Background: He was born in London & his father was an impoverished piano maker WoodDic, Maas p29
Training: From about 1827 he studied informally at the studio of a sculptor & though he enrolled in 1835 at the RA Schools spent little time there. He was self-taught Grove23 p923, Lucie-S p47.
Influences: Etty at first, & Titian MinInstArts p54
Career: When he was 17 his Wounded Horse was exhibited at the RA & by then he was already supporting himself through portraiture. After winning a prize in the House of Parliament competition he was able to afford a period in Florence, 1843-7. Here he was lionised & cocooned by Lady Holland who was the first woman to do so Maas p29, Grove32 p921. After his return he entered a period of despondency & dislocation, which ended in 1851 when he became a permanent guest with the Princeps at Little Holland House. Mrs Princep gave Watts comfort & the attention his bad health required. He became the resident attraction of her semi-bohemian salon. When the house was demolished in 1875, he builds his own nearby at Melbury Road. He was looked after mainly by Mrs Russell Barrington, who deliberately moved next door. In 1864 he had married the 16-year-old Ellen Terry but they separated within a year. He remarried in 1886 & in 1891 they moved to Limners lease near Guildford MinInstArts pp 54-5.
Oeuvre: Paintings in oil & fresco, sculpture & mosaics Maas p29, MinInstArts p55
Phases: During 1847-51 he had an extraordinary burst of creativity painting monumental Biblical subjects, allegorical pictures, & his first portraits of the famous. He also produced social-realist paintings though they were not exhibited until later. During the 1850s much of his energy was devoted to frescoing which he gave up during the 1860s MinInstArts pp 55,63. There was then a long series of didactic allegories & portraits of a national pantheon nature as in William Morris, 1870 (National Portrait Gallery), although he had first conceived the idea of painting his distinguished contemporaries, & presenting them to the nation, around 1850. This he did in 1895. Theses portraits were mostly painted when he was living with the Princeps & meeting lots of establishment figures, although in later years he said that portraiture no longer interested him, he engaged in bouts when he needed money. During the 1850s Watts who objected to poor hanging boycotted the RA but in 1867 was elected to it MinInstArts p61, etc, Maas p29, Grove32 p 921-23
Characteristics/Verdict: His works have a dramatic sense of power. His palette ranged from the sombre & restrained to what has been seen as an Italianate richness, although it has been commented that in comparison with the works of the great Venetians his paintings seem dimmed & tarnished. There were also substantial differences in quality. Some were badly painted & grotesquely misconceived, but others are splendid. When his allegorical paintings fail this is partly due to the collapse of the allegorical tradition which had anyway barely taken root in England. Watts was attempting to resurrect it by inventing his own symbols, an almost impossible task Maas p29, Grove32 p922 , Lucie-S1972 p50, Reynolds1987 pp 124, 137. His best portraits have been in some ways comparable to Tennyson’s sonorous use of language. Almost all are confined to head & shoulders & measure about 24 to 20”, although the sitting portrait of Cardinal Manning is larger at around 36 to 28” MinInstArts pp 68-9, 85
Beliefs/Aim: “I paint ideas, not things. I paint primarily because I have something to say …my intention is not so much to paint pictures which shall please the eye, as to suggest great thoughts which shall speak to the imagination & to the heart & arouse all that is best & noblest in humanity”. Like Tennyson he searched for philosophical truths in a mythology in which he never really believed. He was attempting to counter science induced doubts Lucie-S1972 p47, Maas p29
Grouping: Watts has been treated as belonging to the Aesthetic Movement but he was preoccupied with meaning as well as beauty. Nor can he be classified as a Neo-classicist. He has been regarded as independent of the current movements in the art world. This view has however been strongly challenged by Edward Lucie-Smith who regards him, together with Rossetti & Burne-Jones, as part of the Symbolist movement Treuherz1993 p156, MinInstArts p17, Reynolds1987 p124
Innovations: Around 1850 the technique of placing strokes of broken colour together, & also the deliberate painting of the Victorian great & good so as to create a national pantheon Maas p11
Status: He was the first truly Victorian colossus Maas p28
Patrons: Constantine Ionides & Charles Rickards MinInstArts pp 54, 56
Circle: Tennyson, Julia Margaret Cameron et al MinInstArts p54
Reception: He was mainly known as a portraitist until the 1880s. His work was not popular with the critics or the public & it was not until 1877 & the first Grosvenor Gallery exhibition that he began to achieve recognition. Exhibitions of his work were held in Manchester, 1980, & the Grosvenor Gallery, 1881-2, & he was now recognised as a leading Victorian painter MinInstArts p55, WoodDic, Grove32 p922.
Collections: The Watts Gallery at his old house near Guildford.
WEBER, Max, 1881-1961, USA:
Background: Born Belostock/Bialystock in Poland OxDicMod
Training: At the Pratt Institute, New York, 1898-1900, & briefly at the Academie Julian & with Matisse OxDicMod
Influences: He fell under the spell of Cezanne, admired early Cubism, met Picasso, & was influenced by Fauvism & Primativism, including Native American art OxDicMod, L&L
Career: He emigrated to America with his parents at ten. After teaching at schools for several years, he travelled in Europe, 1905-8. After his return no other avant-garde artist exhibited his work more widely or sustained such critical attack. In the 1920s he taught at the Art Students League. He chaired the American Artists’ Congress in 1937 OxDicMod
Role: He was an important link between avant-garde Paris & New York, where he exhibited at Stieglitz’s Gallery 291 L&L
Oeuvre: Paintings, prints, sculptures OxDicMod
Phases/Characteristics: His best paintings are in a Cubist style incorporating elements of Futurism L&L. After about 1917 his work became more naturalistic. During the 1930s his work often expressed social concern, especially for refugees. In the 1940s it featured rabbis & Jewish scholars – mystical recollections of his childhood OxDicMod
Pupils: Rothco OxDicMod
..WEBSTER, Thomas, 1800-86, England; Troubadour Movement
Background: His father, a member of George III’s household, wanted him to become a musician WoodDic
Training: At the RA Schools WoodDic
Influences: Wilkie & Mulready WoodDic
Career: As a boy he sang in the Chapel Royal Choir but after 1820 he turned to painting. In 1846 he became an RA but retired in 1876. In 1856 he moved to Cranbrook, Kent. Webster formed an important link between Wilkie & later Dutch style genre painting WoodDic, Wood1999 p313, Norman1977
Oeuvre: Genre & initially portraits Norman1977
Characteristics: After his success in 1827 with Rebels Shooting a Prisoner (boys firing a canon at a doll) he concentrated on children at play. His paintings are highly finished & mostly small. They lack Mulready’s subtlety but are genuinely humorous WoodDic, Treuherz1993 pp 19,21, Wood1999 p313, Maas p107.
Reception: He was very popular & prosperous WoodDic
Grouping: The Cranbrook Colony TurnerDtoI p69.
Pupil: Frederick Hardy Wood1999 p313.
– Jan Baptist, WEENIX, 1621-c1660, Jan’s father, & son-in-law of Gillis d’Hondecoeter & brother-in-law of Gijsbert, Netherlands=Utrecht:
Background: Born Amsterdam Haak p404
Training: Claes Moeyaert &then probably Abraham Bloemaert in Utrecht Haak p404
Influences: Snyders for his dead-game paintings OxDicArt
Career: During 1642-6 he worked in Italy & belonged to the Bentveughels. He then worked in Amsterdam but settled in Amsterdam in 1649. He was married to Justina d’Hondec OxDicArt
Oeuvre: Genre-like views of the Roman Campagna; exotic harbour scenes; also portraits, indoor genre, & later on mainly still-life with dead game L&L, OxDicArt
Characteristics: His composition is strong &monumental & he was a good colourist who used diverse hues in a subtle manner Haak p404
Feature: His son said his father could paint three half-length, life size portraits in day OxDicArt
Status: He & Jan Davidsz de Heem powerfully enlivened the rather un-progressive & weak painting in Utrecht Haak p402
Grouping: Italianate Dutch painting L&L
Influenced: Berchem & vice versa L&L
– Jan WEENIX, 1640-1710, Jan Baptist’s son, Netherlands=Amsterdam:
Influences: Van Aelst & Melchior d’Hondecoeter Haak p496
Career: He was mostly in Amsterdam but during 1702-12 he was in Dusseldorf working for the Elector Palatine OxDicArt
Speciality: Hunting trophy subjects; large OxDicArt
Characteristics: His work is often very like his father’s & he was fond of arranging his dead animals against a park line background that included urns & ornaments OxDicArt
..WEGNER, Erich, 1899-, Germany:
Background: Born in Gnoien, Mecklenberg Hayward1979 p130
Training: At the School of Arts & Crafts in Hanover, 1919-21 Hayward1979 p130
Career: He grew up in Rostock & between 1921 & 1925 worked as an advertising artist & theatrical scene painter in Frankfurt, Dresden & Hamburg. In 1946 he became a lecturer at the Folk High School in Hanover Hayward1979 p130
Repute: He is not itemised in OxDicMod or mentioned in Roh
..WEIGHT, Carel, 1908-:
Background: He was born in London & partly of German & Swedish descent OxDicMod
Training: Hammersmith School of Art, 1928-30, & Goldsmith’s College, 1930-33 OxDicMod
Career: Originally he trained as a singer. He exhibited at the RA from 1931 & joined the Artists International Association. After serving in the army, he became an Official War Artist in 1945. He taught at the Royal College of Art from 1847 to 1973, & was a professor from 1967 OxDicMod, TurnerEtpPM p57
Oeuvre: Portraits, landscapes, townscapes & imaginative figure compositions OxDicMod
Characteristics: He used heightened colour & subtly distorted perspective to produce psychological tension in apparently mundane situations OxDicMod
Aim: The creation of a world superficially close to the visual one but with tension & drama, as produced by memory, mood & imagination: a concern for with anger, love, fear, loneliness etc OxDicMod
..WEIR, Julian Alden, 1852-191, USA:
Background: His father was drawing instructor at West Point Military Academy where he was born Gerdts1980 p71
Training: His father; 1869-71 at the National Academy of Design in New York; & the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, around 1874 NGArtinP p264
Influences: Hassam & Twachtman for his shift to Impressionism NGArtin P p264
Career: Between 1873 & 1877 he lived in in Paris but painting in the countryside including Pont-Aven in 1874. He exhibition academic portraits at Salon 1975-6; & in 1877 visited the Impressionism Exhibition (“worse than the Chamber of Horrors”). In 1877 he returned to America, visiting Whistler en route. He settled in New York & spent the summers painting at Branchville &Wyndham, Connecticut. From 1890 he painted Impressionist landscapes. He was a founder of the Society of American Artists & Ten American Painters. During 1915-7 he was President of the National Academy of Design NGArtinP p264
Characteristics: He was a poetic artist of great charm. Though not as exciting colourful or original as many contemporaries Gerdts1980 p71
Phases: drawn to Impressionism by working in Conn countryside & influenced by Twachtman/Hassam/Robinson & inspired Japan prints
Personal: He was sympathetic to artists, critics & movements of greatly diverse standpoints & a warm friend to masny colleagues Gerdts1980 p71
Grouping: American Impressionism Gerdts1984 p286
Friends: Bastien-Lepage NGArtinP pp 46, 162. 264
Repute: This fell into semi-oblivion until it began to recover around 1950 Gerdts1980 p71
Brother: John Ferguson Weir was also an artist Gerdts1980 p71
..WELLIVER, Neil, 1929-, USA:
Background: He was born in Millville, Pennsylvania Wikip
Training: Philadelphia College of Art & then obtained as as masters in art at Yale under Burgoyne Diller & Josef Albers Wikip
Career: He taught at Cooper Union, 1953-7; Yale 1956-66; & the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Art where he became chairman, 1966-89 Wikip
Speciality: Large all-over paintings of the Maine woods usually in winter or early spring thaws in clear, cold light. Hughes1997 p554.
Technique: His large works are based on plein air sketches painted, often in winter, in about nine hours in three sessions. “I look very hard, & then make it up as I go along”. He said he was uninterested in in exact colours but aimed at finding what looked right Hughes1997 pp 555-6
Phases: When teaching at Yale he emerged from exhausted Abstract Expressionism seeking re-engagement with the physical world Wikip, Hughes1997 p554.
Characteristics: His works sometimes have an emotional intensity that transcends realism Hughes1997 p556.
Feature: In 1975 home, studio & paintings were destroyed in a fire. Between 1976 & 1991 he lost a daughter, son & wife. At the University of Pennsylvania he sexually harassed students Wikip
..WELTI, Albert, 1962-1912, Switzerland:
Background: |Born Zurich Norman1977
Training: During 1881-6 at the Munich Academy & 1888-90 with Bocklin, who profoundly influenced him Norman1977
Career: In 1887 he visited Venice & later Paris. He settled in Munich Norman1977. To begin with he achieved considerable popularity but he became increasingly isolated in the art world during the 1900s Grove33 p66
Speciality: Small cabinet pictures often touched with humour Norman1977
Characteristics: His pictures feature witches, knights & miraculous beasts & have a wealth of narrative detail Norman1977, Grove33 p66
Grouping: Symbolism, although his cautious work is close to that of the Pre-Raphaelites Norman1977, L-S1972 p157
-WEREFKIN, Baroness Marianne von, 1870-1938, Russia/Germany:
Background: She was born in Tula near Moscow OxDicMod
Training: At the St Petersburg Academy under Repin but she disliked his work OxDicMod
Influences: Early on Symbolist poetry & painting & then Fauvist work OxDicMod, ShearerW1996
Career: In 1991 she met Javlensky who was a fellow student, they became partners, they moved to Munich in 1896. She stopped painting for a decade to support him financially & emotionally. Accompanying them was her young maid who soon gave birth to his son. In 1914 Werefkin & Javlensky moved to Ascona in Switzerland. Here she remained though he left in 1921. They were founder members of the avant-garde Neue Kunstlervereinigung in 1909 & she exhibited with the Blaue ReiterL&L, OxDicMod, ShearerW1996, Jackie Wullschlager Life & Arts p13.
Characteristics: Her early style was Symbolist but she became an Expressionist in Germany with bright patches of flat colour in an often rather mystical mood ShearerW1996, OxDicMod
Beliefs: The need for a new art expressing individual personality. She considered her own work secondary to that of her friends OxDicMod
Circle: She held daily tea parties at Munich Dube pp 97-8
..WERENSKIOLD, Erik, 1855-1938, Norway; Rural Naturalism
Background: He was born at Kongsvinger. A prevalent theme in Nordic art was Kierkeguard’s demand that artists & writers should show truth & objective reality Norman1977, Kent p133
Training: 1972 in Oslo &, 1876-80, in Munich under Lofftz etc Norman1977
Influences: Initially Leibl & German realism but then the Impressionists Kent p128, Norman1977
Career: He went to Munich in 1875 but mostly lived in Paris from 1881 to 1889. During the mid-1880s he embarked on a career as a portraitist . His farm at Fleskum became an artists’ colony during the summers of 1886-7 Norman1977, Weisberg1992 p257, Kent pp 128, 229, Jacobs1985 p91
Oeuvre: Realist landscape & peasant scenes, together with portraits & illustrations to folk tales & legends Norman1977
Speciality: Landscapes expressing the summer mood of the Norwegian countryside Kent p229
Characteristics: His portraits have vivacity because sitters are close to the picture plane & surrounding space is severely restricted . He used strong, clear lines Weisberg1992 p257, Norman1977
Status: He was a leader in Norwegian avantgarde painting Norman1977
Circle: Harriet Backer & the other artists who gathered at Fleskrum were all strongly nationalistic Jacobs1985 p91
Grouping: Naturalism Weisberg1992 p257
..WERNER, Anton von, 1843-1915, Germany; Academic Movement
Background: Born Frankfurt and der Oder Grove33 p82
Training: Akademie der Kunste, Berlin, 1859-62 ;& in Karlsruhe with Schirmer, Ludwig Des Coudres & Adolf Schrodter Grove 33 p82
Influences: Lessing’s advocacy of history painting Grove33 p82
Career: He visited Paris in 1867 & Italy, 1868-9. He accompanied the Crown Prince in the Franco-Prussian War. In 1874 he became a member of the Akademie der Kunste in Berlin & soon its director. He was director of the National gallery from 1909 & hated Modernism Grove33 p82, Masur p223
Oeuvre: Paintings & illustrations Grove33 p82
Characteristics: Meticulous scenes of contemporary events particularly those that were patriotic & involved soldiers & William II Grove33 p82
Reception: Though ridiculed by progressives, his work was immensely popular during his lifetime & with William II. Its theatricality, realistic but untruthful, was entirely consistent with middle-class taste Grove33 p82, Mommsen p125
Status: It was widely known that he enjoyed the personal confidence of the Emperor Mommsen p131
Grouping: Naturalistic Grove33 p82
Influence: A large section of the Berlin Bourgeoise came to believe in his style of painting Masur p223
Werff. See Van der Werff
-WESSELMANN, Tom, 1931-2004, USA:
Background: Born Cincinnati OxDicMod
Training: During 1954-6 classes at the Art Academy of Cincinnati & from 1956 to 1959 study at the Cooper Union, New York OxDicMod
Career: Initially he studied psychology at the University of Cincinnati, 1951-2 & 1954-6. In 1961 he began his series the Great American Nude. During the early 1960s he became a leading figure in American Pop Art OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Paintings often with elements of collage, including TV sets; also Prints & sculpture OxDicMod
Characteristics: His subjects are often aggressively sexual featuring a depersonalised but appealing female nude. She is painted in flat unmodulated colours, with stress laid on nipples, mouth & genitals, & appears in a commonplace environment. In some works body parts are isolated & a large scale mouth becomes a provocative erotic symbol OxDicMod, L&L
*WEST, Benjamin, 1738-1820, England (USA); Neo-Classicism (early) and British Golden Age Movement
Background: He was born into a modest family close to the Western frontier of Pennsylvania RAMag Autumn 2015 p65. They were Quakers family who had moved from Buckinghamshire in 1699 Grove33 p91. West admired Mohawk warriors likening them to the Apollo Belvedere BurkeJ p243
Training: After moving to Philadelphia in 1756 West was taught by William Williams & John Heath, a Moravian preacher who had been trained as a painter & metal engraver. Later Mengs taught him at the Capitoline Academy in Rome Grove33 p91
Influences: Around 1756 he was told by a sitter that morally uplifting historical & biblical subjects were nobler than faces Grove33 p91.
Career: His earliest known portraits date from about 1752 & he spent a year, probably 1755-6, painting portraits in Lancaster Pennsylvania Grove33 p91. During 1760-3 he was in Italy, mainly Rome, where he was a protegee of Mengs & a friend of Hamilton. In 1763 he settled in London. His Continence of Scipio & Pylades & Orestes caused a sensation when exhibited at the Society of Arts in 1766. In 1768 was founder member of the RA & became Historical Painter to George III in 1772, from whom he received an annual stipend. During the 1780s West gave drawing lessons to the Princesses L&L, OxDicArt, RylCol, Grove33 p91. Between 1787 & 1789 he painted a series of vast canvases for Windsor celebrating British victories in the Hundred Years War & the founding of the Order of the Garter Grove33 p 91. In 1792 he succeeded Reynolds as PRA. However, he was criticised at court for praising Napoleon, whom he met in 1792, ran into financial problems, faced hostility in the RA, & was forced by to resign as President in 1805 by Copley. However, after being begged to return, he resumed his presidency in 1806 Grove33 pp 91-3.
Oeuvre: History Paintings of all types, landscapes, genre works & portraits ArtUK, L&L
Characteristics/Phases/Groupings: His work around 1870, as exemplified by Leonidas & Cleombrotus was precocious & severe Neoclassicism Rosenblum1967 pp 65-6. During the 1770s he began to explore the possibilities of Sublime subject matter & from 1783 produced several versions of death on a pale horse. Here a skeletal rider & his companions wreak apocalyptic havoc on humanity. His renderings of terror were impersonal & theatrical in contrast with, for instance, Blake’s exploration of an irrational realm. West’s paintings can be seen as a reworking & adaptation of Baroque principles R&J p59, L&L. In some pictures he used stock gestures to indicate the emotional response of those depicted ArtUk
Innovation: He was the first American artist to go on a grand tour of Italy RAMag Autumn2015 p40. His Death of General Wolf, 1770, was an innovatory painting of Modern History Painting, although Reynolds had warned him against painting it as a contemporary event RAMag Autumn 2015 p40, Grove14 p586. Although in religious scenes intended for the Royal Chapel at Windsor he omitted the Virgin, the paintings broke the barrier against popish pictures in English churches Grove33 p91.Status: He became the most famous painter in the English speaking world RAMag Autumn2015 p65.
Personal: He was an unfailingly kind & generous mentor to both English pupils & American pupils, his home & studio becoming the haven for American artists seeking advice, instruction or employment Grove33 p 92
Patrons; West painted around 60 pictures for George III between 1768 & 1801 RylCol. Latterly William Beckford became his patron Grove33 p93.
Pupils: Earl; Fulton; Pratt; Stuart; Trumbull L&L
Repute: He was soon derided & passed over RAMag Autumn 2015 p40. Opinion began to change with an exhibition of his works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1938 Grove33 p94. However, the quality of his work continued to be described as pedestrian OxDicArt
..WESTALL, Richard, 1775-1856, England:
Career: became RA Hussey p267
Oeuvre: History Paintings (contributed to Boydell’s Shakespeare G); pastoral scenes; book illustrations (prolific) OxDicArt
Characteristics: watercolours unusually rich colours OxDicArt; watercolours have exquisite line & considerable feeling for form Hussey p267
Patrons: Payne Knight (who said embodied his personal conception of beauty) owned 7 Hussey p267
Verdict: Second-class typical of artist trained in the 18th century who adapted to Romanticism; pastoral scenes better OxDicArt; watercolours raised sentimental illustration to beauty Hussey p267
Weyden. See Van der Weyden
-WHEATLEY, Francis, 1747-1801, England; Romantic Picturesque Movement
Background: His father was a London tailor DIA p133
Training: Daniel Fournier who was a drawing master & perspective teacher; Shipley’s drawing school; 1769 at the RA; & Richard Wilson; Zoffany DIA p133. L&L
Influence: He probably developed his rustic genre of gypsy encampments under the influence of his friend Mortimer together with grey colours; Greuze (grey colours/compositions) DIA p133-4
Career: In 1765 he first exhibited at the Society of Arts Waterhouse1953 p320; He became a member in 1770, director in 1774 but left in 1778 with Mortimer & exhibited at the RA. When having an affair with Mrs Gresse, & deeply in debt he fled with her to Dublin DIA p133. During 1779-83/4 he worked in Dublin Waterhouse1953 p320; 1791 RA Wikip
Oeuvre: Initially he largely painted landscapes & Zoffany-like small full-length portraits & conversations. They were mainly of the upper middle class in outdoor settings. After 1783 he produced sentimental genre & from 1785 subjects from modern literature. During 1792-95 his Cries of London were exhibited at the RA OxDicArt, L&L, DIA p133
Characteristics: His work features a beautiful touch, suaveness, universal competence, & excellent architectural draftsmanship Sitwell p48. He used grayed colours DIA pp 133-4; juicy brushwork Hussey p262
Innovations: With George Morland & Ibbetson he established the village scene in English painting OxDicArt; Another development was the group portrait where nature where nature is more dominant & figures are smaller. These prepared the way for later intimate paintings showing the relationship between man & nature DIA p75
Verdict: He was a very considerable painter &, after Gainsborough, one of best British painters Sitwell pp 47-8
Grouping: The Picturesque Hussey p262
..WHISHAW, Anthony, 1930-, England:
Background: He was born in London Wikip
Training: 1948-52 Chelsea School Art; 1952-5 Royal College of Art F50s p77
Influences: Spanish, landscape & culture including bullfighting, & Goya’s black paintings; Francis Bacon Wikip, Tate site
Career: In 1955 he went to Spain where he lived for one time. In 1979 he was elected to the London Group & in 1989 became an RA Tate site, Wikip
Phases/Characteristics: His earlier works were figurative & religious oils, but during the late 1960s under Cubist influence he turned to abstracted paintings in acrylic. They are heavily textured & collaged, stark & in using near monochrome colour. His works have throughout featured horizontal formats & a preoccupation with Spain Tate site
***WHISTLER, James McNeill, 1834-1903, USA: Aestheticism Movement
..WHITTREDGE, Worthington, 1820-1910, USA:
Background: He was born in a log cabin on his father’s farm not very far from Springfield, Ohio Wikip
Training: Western Art Union in Cincinnati & Achenbach in Dusseldorf under Emanuel Leutz Norman1977, Wikip
Influences: Cole & Durand after his return to America. He was impressed by the grandeur of the great plains & the way in which from an elevation they melted into the distance. Hitherto he had regarded grandeur as essentially horizontal Norman1977, Wilmerding p127
Career: He had no formal education until he was 17 & went to Cincinnati where he worked as a house painter. In 1849 he went to Europe visiting Paris but gravitating to Dusseldorf where he remained until 1854. He then lived in Italy for five years. Back in America he lived in the Catskills & painted from nature. Whittedge visited the Rockies with Kensett & Gifford in 1865 but was mainly inspired by the coasts & plains. In 1880 he moved to Summit, New Jersey Wikip, Norman1977
Oeuvre: Early portraits & then from his time in Cincinnati landscapes Wikip
Speciality: Broad horizontal views with a few busy figures Norman1977
Phases/Characteristics: His earlier Dusseldorf inspired paintings were accurate but dull but after his trip to the Rockies his New England composition became less conventional & his colour richer & more varied I&C p245
Grouping: The Hudson River School. He was a very borderline Luminist I&C p232, Wilmerding pp 11, 21-3, 21
Verdict: Some of his grave New England forest interiors with their great trees mysterious depths & light trickling down on rock & fern are among the best Hudson River paintings I&C pp 245, 268
Wieringen. See Van Wieringen
-WIERTZ, Antoine, 1806-65, Belgium:
Background: He was born at Dinant Norman1977
Training: At the Antwerp Academy under Herreyns & Van Bree Norman1977
Influences: Michelangelo & Rubens for his heroic poses Novotny p244
Career: Around 1832 he went to Rome where his Patroclus was hailed as a masterpiece but received scant attention in Paris & Brussels. Firmly convinced of his own genius he became preoccupied with avenging himself on the establishment Norman1977
Oeuvre: History & allegory; & also unsigned portraits to earn money Norman1977
Characteristics: His works are huge, monumental, fantastic, symbolic & outstandingly violent & apocalyptic L&L, Novotny p244
Aim: His paintings are sermons against the evil of contemporary society Norman1977
Verdict: His wild-eyed hysteria is a caricature of real passion Navotny p244
Grouping: Late Romantic melodromatic art like Gaillat & Emile Wauters. He belonged to a tradition which combined pathos, declamation & naturalism that originated with the historical paintings of Francois-Andre Vincent & culminated with Wappers L&L, Novotny p87
Collections: Musee Wiertz, Brussels Norman1977
Wierusz-Kowalski. See Kowalski-Wierusz
-WIJNANTS, Jan, c1623-84, Netherlands:
Background: He was born in Haarlem Haak p387
Influences: Jan Both & other Dutch-Italinate painters L&L
Career: He was active in Haarlem but in 1660 he moved from to Amsterdam L&L, Haak p387
Oeuvre: It was prolific. Landscapes & town viewes Haak p387, Stechow p127
Speciality: From the late 1650s he specialised in dune lasndsacpes Haak p387, L&L
Characteristics/Verdict: Much of his work is mediocre with cliches such as a large stump or pollard willow in the foreground. However he sometimes achieves unexpected effects through restrined colour & an interesting fall of light. His light & colour effects are simpler cooler crisper than Hackaert’s. All but the tiniest of his figures were painted by others Haak p387, Stechow p165, L&L
Innovation: He pioneered Amsterdam painting of town views featuring breadth & grandeur with his View of the Heerengracht in Amsterdam, 1660-2 Stechow p127.
Grouping: He belonged to the second generation of Dutch Italianates Stechow p148
-WILDENS, Jan, 1586-1653, Belgium:
Background: He was born in Antwerp Grove33 p181
Training: In 1596 he was apprenticed to Pieter Verhulst, none of whose work has survived Grove 33 p181.
Influences: Pieter Breugel the Elder & his imitatorst together with Mannerist lanndsape composition & perspective & then Paul Bril & Rubens late landscapes L&L, Vlieghe p192
Career: In 1604 he became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke Grove33 p181. From about 1614 to 1618 he worked in Italy. After returning to Antwerp he collaborated with Rubens by painting the backgrounds for Abraham Jansssen, Cornelis & Paul de Vos , Gerard Seghers, Theodore Rombouts, & Frans Snyders. Such work continued until his death. Wildens, Snyders & the de Vos brothers were related through marriage L&L, Vlieghe pp 71, 192.
Oeuvre: Landscapes L&L
Phases/Characteristics: From about 1620 his landscape composition was clearer & more realistic. They were now painted from a lower viewpoint & with a classical harmony created by clumps of trees & sometimes monumental figures & trees. The latter produced a peaceful, idyllic & enclosed appearance Vlieghe p192
*WILKIE, Sir David, 1785-1841, Scotland; British Golden Age
Background: His father was a minister & his grandfather a miller DIA p214. The 16th century Flemish kermess or fair scenes provided a model for Wilkie & others Treuherz1993 p19
Training: 1799-1804 at the Trustees’ Academy, Edinburgh & later at the Royal Academy Schools Grove33 p188, L&L
Influences: Dutch & Flemish peasant subjects of the 16th & 17th centuries such as those by Ostade & Teniers . He was also influenced by Italian & Spanish painting seen during his trip to the Continent in 1825-8, in particular Velazquez. He also tried to assimilate some of Delacroix’s Romanticism Treuherz1993 p17, OxDicArt, L&L. Charles Bell’s 1806 lectures were another influence. Bell was a surgeon who was interested in the way in which the passions produce muscular facial movements & how painters could bring about a much needed improvement in their depiction Errington p27.
Inspiration: The Scottish school of poetry, viz Fergusson, Burns & Allan Ramsay. Wilkie’s first surviving picture illustrated Ramsay’s pastoral comedy The Gentle Shepherd Macmillan1990 p165 etc
Career: From 1803 he painted pot-boiler portraits to support himself. During 1804-5 he produced his first genre picture, Pitlessie Fair. In 1805he went to London & from 1809 employed John Burnet & Abraham Raimbach to engrave his work Grove33 pp 188–9. In 1806 Village Politicians was a success at the RA, in 1811 he secured election, & in 1822 Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Gazette of the Battle of Wateerloo had to be railed off from the pressing crowds L&L, OxDicArt, Reynolds p37. During 1814 & 1821 he visted Paris & in 1816 he went to the Low Countries. In 1824 his mother who was the centre of his centre of domestic life died along with wo brothers. He had a nervous breakdown. He scarcely had any life outside painting & he never married. During 1825-28 he travelled extensively in Italy, Austria, Germany & Spain. It was not until early 1827 that he cautiously began to paint again. In 1830 he succeeded Lawrence as Painter to the King . He went to the Middle East in 1840 Errington p49, Grove33 pp 189-90.
Oeuvre: It was wide ranging from genre to history paintings Grove33 pp 188-90
Specialities: Crowd scenes & stage-like cottage interiors lit from a side window with a few figures engaged in dramatic scenes Treuhertz1993 p19
Technique: His pictures were based on observation & recall, but also on drawings to record fleeting expressions & compelling poses. He was a prolific & assured draftsman. His Middle Eastern drawings are particularly impressive Errington p49, Grove33 p191
Models: Due to the difficulty of getting the expressions he wanted he used his own face & was skilled at altering his features. Nevertheless he made great use of models, some of whom were authentic models which helps explain his characters’ endless diversity Errington pp 35-6
Phases: His figures gradually become stronger & his colour & atmosphere more interesting L&L. His works from Village Festival show a new attention to plasticity of form, figures are now bound together in groups, & his works have more colour & the paintwotk is more fluid. After his breakdown he began what seemed a new career. His style became looser & his subject matter broadened & became more grand. It was now focused on historical scenes in the recent past & more distant times Treuherz1993 p17, Grove33 pp 189–90.
Characteristics: His work has greater psychological penetration & narrative complexity than that of Teniers & Steen, with rounded characters in real situations Treuherz1993 p17. He was able to render facial expressions sympathetically without exaggeration Reynolds1987 p12. He did not employ much symbolism but did use informational devices ie details which indicate personal tastes, hapineness & social status, etc Errington p39. His works convey a reassuring message L&L
Beliefs: That a truthful gesture would, in contrast to one that was stereotyped, strike the observer with extra force Errington p49. When forced by Haydon to toast political reform, he said it must be very moderate Errington p54. He was probably politically naive because he was astonished at the hostility to Distraining for Rent & had an innocent & optimistic confidence in basic human goodness Errington pp 47, 61
Innovations: He elevated everyday life into a new Grand Manner of dignity & refinement, as recognised at the timeSolkin2015 pp 284-5
Friends: Collins, Constable, Mulready & Haydon Vaughan1999 p160, Errington pp 1, 46, 54
Status: He was the most popular genre painter of his time OxDicArt
Patrons: Angerstein & the Prince Regent DIA p214
Legacy: His success promoted English anecdotal painting OxDicArt. Reading of the Will was purchased in 1826 by Ludwig I of Bavaria & it influenced the Biedermier artists, with Danhauser painting a version Norman1987 p20. A critic in the Art Journal of 1860 said that he led the rich to emphasise with poor thus elevating himself to the position of a philanthropist Errington p5
Repute: Ruskin said early on that he was a “thoroughly low person”, though later he was more generous Errington p2, Ruskin1899 p203. According to Roger Fry [who one might expect to be highly critical] he had an Ingres-like sensitiveness of line & a plenitude of form. He painted some good compositions with well placed & grouped figures. However they are commonplace. He is not vulgarly sentimental but his increasing desire to tell a story is too evident Fry1934 pp 96-7.
*..WILLAERTS, Adam, 1577-1664, Netherlands=Utrecht:
Background: He was born in Antwerp Haak p535
Career: In 1611 he helped found the Utrecht St Luke’s Guild Haak p215
Speciality: Seascapes & coastlines OxCompArt
Characteristics/Phases: He worked in the same tradition as Vroom but an early view of the Dutch fleet lacks his perfect portrayal of the vessels but has moer variegated colour. He increasingly painted coastal views, & beaches which are always crowded . The coastal scenes contain fantastic rocks & buildings OxCompArt, Haak p215.
Verdict: His work was conservative Strechow p102
Progeny: His sons Abraham & Isaac followed in their father’s footsteps Haak p215
*..WILLEMS, Florent, 1823-1905, France (Belgium):
Background: He was born at Liege Grove33 p196
Training: Malines Academy Norman1977
Career: He first exhibited at the Salon of 1844 settled in Paris where he shared a studio with Alfred Stevens. At the Salon of 1855 he sold works to the Emperor & Empress. He achieved wide popularity Norman1977
Oeuvre: Historical genre & restoration work Norman1977, Grove33 p196
Characteristics: He usually painted tranquil studies set in the 16th & 17th centuries with careful attention to the textures of satins, velvets, lace & curls Norman1977
Progeny: His son Charle-Henri was a portrait painter Grove33 p197
..WILLIAMS, Kyffin, 1918-, Wales:
Background: He was born at Llangefni, Anglesey, into an old landed family. His father was a bank manager & his mothyer disliked the Welsh & their language Wikip
Training: 1941-4 Slade F50s p77
Influences: Patagonian light which canged his palette Wikip
Career: He was educated at Shrewsbury School where he had polio which led to epilepsy. After joining the army in 1937, he failed a medical in 1941, & the doctor suggested he take up art. He taught at Highgate School, 1944-73. In 1973 he went on a painting trip to the Welsh settlement in Patagonia. After retiring he returned to Anglesey, painted & promoted Welsh art. He became an RA in 1974 OxDicMod
Oeuvre: Landscapes, portraits & prints Wikip, OxDicMod
Characteristics: Lyrical paintings with simplified forms in richly applied paint using a palette knife OxDicMod
Collections: Oriel Kuffin Williams Gallery, Oiel Ynys Mon, Llangefni, Anglesey
..Daniel WILLIAMSON, 1823-1903:
Background: He was born in Liverpool & his father Daniel W was a painter Newall2016 p96, WoodDic
Career: He gave up his job as a cabinet maker & went to London around 1847. From around 1855 he drew& painted cattle & sheep on Peckenham Common. In 1860m he returned to Lancashire living at Warton-in-Carnforth & at Broughton-in-Furness in the Duddon Valley Newall 2016 p96, WoodDic
Oeuvre: Landscape & genre WoodDic
Phases/Characteristics: His extraordinary, impassioned & atmospheric Peckham Common paintings display minute attention to the massed forms of the animals with unifying light effects. The Lancashire views of upland scenery are Pre-Raphaelite works, & in the Warton paintings of the limestone outcrops & pavements his attention to the geology was scrupulous. He used intense glowing colours, russet browns & dense forest greens, purples & mauves, sometimes using an impasto technique. He skillfuly found scenic patterns which enabled him to simplify his compositions into bands & dispense with traditional perspectival devices. Later on, possibly because of ability to paint outside, he turned to Impressionistic, misty watercolours Newall2016 pp 93, 96, 99, 102.
Verdict: Opinions appear to differ with respect to Williamson’s stature as an artist & also his interest in what he saw. Christopher Newall stresses his ability & observation whereas Tim Barringer criticises Coniston Old Man from Warton Crags, 1863, for being hallucinatory & over-intense & says he was metely interested in the evocation of nature through the creation of a decorative, polychromatic surface Barringer1998 p76
Friends: William Windus with whom he made painting expeditions is the mid-1860s Newall 2016 p102, WoodDic
..Harold WILLIAMSON, 1898-1972, England:
Background: He was born in Manchester Wilcox2006 p105.
Training: Evening classes at the School of Art prior to the war & full-time afterwards Wilcox2006 p105.
Influences: Unexpected viewpoints inspired by the camera angles used by Leni Riefensthal etc Wilcox2006 p43.
Career: His first exhibit at the RA was in 1916. In 1922 he taught at the School of Art but also worked freelance for Sanderson’s. the wallpaper manufacturers. From 1926 he was at Bournemouth College of Art & from 1947 to 1962 headed the Department of Fine Art at Manchester Wilcox2006 p105
Oeuvre: Landscapes & figure composition in oil & tempera, etchings Wilcox2006 p105
Verdict: He was technically brilliant according to Patrick Elliott Times1/7/17 (Durrant)
-WILLMANN, Michael, 1630-1706, Germany:
Background: His home town was Konigsburg Hempel p82
Training: Jacob Backer Hempel p82
Influences: Initially Rembrandt, Rubens, Ruysdael & Van Dyke Hempel p82
Career: After studying in the Netherlands he was active io Bohemia & during 1557-60 worked in Berlin where he became was court painter to the Elector of Brandenburg, He converted to Catholisicm & in 1660 entered & remained at the Cisterian monastery of Leubus in Silesia L&L.Hempel, p83
Oeuvre: Mural cycles at Lebus & elsewhere, altarpieces, portraits & mythological paintings for both clergy & aristocrats L&L
Phases: He turned to fresco painting in the 1680s Hempel p146
Characteristics: He aimed at dynamic vitality in his religious paintings which can be coarse & violent. His works have a poetic, mystic strain near to the style of Altdorfer. Even his idyllic scenes are charged with emotion but he maintains a frim grip on reality & avoids sentimentality. In his lifelike & virtuoso portraits he used powerful, dense brushwork Hempel pp 82-3, 146..
Status: He was considered the most Bohemian painter of his time after Karel Skreta L&L:
..WILLUMSEN, Jens, 1863-1958, Denmark:
Background: He ws born in Copenhagen Roberts p244
Training: He studied at the Kunstakadamiet & at Kroyer’s school Kent pp 134, 229
Influences: Gauguin L&L
Career: He lived in France during 1888-9 & 1880-4, including a visit to Spain in 1889. He met Gauguin, Serusier, the Symbolists & Tho Van Gogh who introduced him to Redon’s work Kent p134, Gibson pp 149, 244.
Characteristics: His works have been described as painterly, sculptural & on occasion painfully expressionist in style. After returning from France his landscapes became intensely coloured & vibrant Kent p229, Roberts pp 152-3
Friends: Hammersho Kent p229
Grouping: He was at various times a Realist, Symbolist & an Expressionist Gibson p149, Kent p229
Collections: The J. F. Willumens Museum, Frederikssund
D ** Richard WILSON, 1713-82, Wales: British Golden Age Movement
.. William WILSON, Scotland:
Background: There was a great boom in etching during the twenties followed by an intense collapse during the thirties MacMillan1990 p361
Training: Evening classes at Edinburgh College of Art & then full time study MacMillan1990 p361
Influences: Durer, Breughel, & Samuel Palmer MacMillan1990 pp361-2
Career: Initially he worked at Bartholomew the map-printers. After a study tour on the Continent, he worked with the stained-glass artist James Ballantyne MacMillan1990 p361
Oeuvre: Print-making, stained-glass & watercolours MacMillan p361, Wikip
Characteristics: His etchings are boldly drawn, use a Cubist treatment of space –steep, flat & faceted- & achieve a strongly atmospheric quality. Like Fleming’s work they responded to detail but, by copying the techniques of the old masters, avoided the modern cult of technical virtuosity that derived from Whistler. In St Monace he stresses the way in which the place has been shaped by human activity over many generations MacMillan1990 p362
Status: He was the leading stained-glass artist in Scotland & one of the finest in Britain MacMillan1990 p361
Grouping: He belonged to a group of printmakers that included his close friend Ian Fleming, & from the previous generation E. S. Lumsden & Muihead Bone MacMillan1990 p361
.. WINDUS, William Lindsay, 1822-1907, England:
Background: He was born in Liverpool & the son of a clergyman Newall2016 p108
Training: William Daniels & the Liverpool Academy WoodDic
Career: He became a member of the Liverpool Acadeny in 1848 WoodDic
Phases: Initially he painted historical genre with strong chiraroscuro, but was converted to Pre-Raphaelitism in 1850 on seeing Millais’ Christ in the House of His Parents. He was a slow & uncertain worker & dis not produce Burd Helen, his first painting of this type, until 1856. It was greatly admired by Millais & praised by Ruskin after the former had drawn it to his attention. However Ruskin was severely critical of Too Late, 1859. After another work in 1864 Windus appears to have more or less ceased painting & by1888 had moved to Hampstead where he lived in isolation WoodDic, Newall2016 pp 108-11.
Grouping: The Liverpool School of which he was the most promising Pre-Raphaelite painter Newall2016 p108, Wood1999 p124
Friends: Daniel Williamson with whom he painted in the Duddon Valley Newall2016 p110
Influence: He persuaded the Liverpool Academy to invite Pre-Raphaelite artists to exhibit at the Liverpool exhibitions Newall2016 p108
..WINGATE, Sir James Lawton, 1846-1924, Scotland:
Background: Glasgow Macmillan1990 p253
Training: Glasgow School of Art & the Royal Scottish Academy School Macmillan1990 p253
Influences: Hugh Cameron; his friend William McKay; & McTaggart after 1887 Macmillan1990 p253
Career: During 1867-8 he made an Italian trip. Between 1881 & 1887 her lived in the small Perthshire village of Muthill Macmillan1990 p253
Phases: At first his work was painted under Pre-Raphaelite & Ruskinian influence. During 1874-87 he produced scenes of rural life at Muthill; & then work with dramatic skies & light on water Macmillan1990 p253
-WINK, Thomas, 1738-97, Germany:
Background: He was born at Eichstatt, Bavaria askART
Career: He painted in palaces & churches in Upper Bavaria & settled around 1760 in Munich where he designed stage scenery for the Electoral tapestry works. In 1769 he became Court Painter & founded a school of drawing from which the Munich Academy developed L&L
Oeuvre: Frescos & altarpieces L&L
..WINSTANLEY, Hamlet, 1698-1756, England:
Background: He was born in Warrington the son of a tradesman Wikip
Training: In London at the academy of painting in Great Queen Street & he was tutored by Kneller its instigator Wikip, Grove18 p146
Career: In 1721 he returned to Warrington to paint Sir Edward Stanley. This led to him being employed by to James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby to paint landscapes & portraits at Knowsley Hall. During 1723-5 he was in Rome & went back to Warrington Wikip
Oeuvre: Paintings & engravings Wikip
Teacher/assistant: Stubbs very briefly around 1741 Tate 1984 p12
* Franz WINTERHALTER, 1805-73, Hermann’s brother, Germany; Academic Movement
Background: He was born at Menzenschwand in BadenWurtenttemberg, the son of a farmer Norman1977, L&L
Training: After training as a draughtsman & lithographer in Freidburg im Breisgau, he went in 1825 to the Munich Academy under Langer Grove33 p256, Norman1977
Influences: Stieler who was a popular portrait painter with whom he collaborated from 1825. In his studio he learned to make his heads emerge from shadows & to use light to model faces Gove33 p256. From the 1840s he was influenced by Lawrence & 18th century English portraiture Norman1977
Career: During 1832-3 he was in Rome & in 1834 became court painter at Karlsruhe & moved to Paris. In 1836 he achieved a mjor success at the Salon & in 1838 a portrait commission from Louis-Philippe established his position as the most sought after portraitist to the aristocratic elite. In 1842 he painted his first portrait of Victoria & Albert. After the Franco-Prussian War he settled in Karlruhe Grove33 pp 256-7.
Oeuvre: Portraits & also genre & mythologies L&L. He was an accomplished lithographer OxDicArt
Technique: it is believed that he painted directly onto the canvas without preliminary studies. He decided the pose & dress of his sitters Grove33 p257
Characteristics/Phases: His work was usually formal but he could produce strikingly intimate studies, & in his paintings of the British royal family managed to combine the two Treuherz1993 p15, Grove33 p256. He ; superficial OxDicArt. From 1835 his style became looser Norman1977
Workshop: This produced numerous replicas for embassies etc Treuherz1993 p15. When busy his portraits were often finished by his brother Hermann or his assistant Eduard Magnus Norman1977
Verdict: His work has been criticised as glossy & superficial. However, this is probably unfair. His work was certainly uneven but he was capable of painting a relaxed & graceful royal fete champetre as in Empress Eugenie & Her Ladies OxDicArt, Grove33 p257, Levey1971 p197
Patrons: Queen Victoria acquired over 100 oils Norman1977
Status: He was the most successful court portraitist from 1840 to 1870 Norman1977
Gossip: He painted Victoria with her arms crossed to conceal her pregnancy Wood1999 p278
-WISSING, Willem/William, 1656-87, Netherlands/England:
Background: He was born in Amsterdam Waterhouse1953 p112
Training: In the Hague Waterhouse1953 p112
Career: He arrived in England in 1676 & became Lely’s most important assistant. He painted William of Orange in Holland for James II in 1685 Waterhouse1953 p112.
Oeuvre: Portraits L&L
Characteristics: Metallic flowers, huge weeds & other french accessories probably seen during a French trip after Lely’s death Waterhouse1953 p113
Patrons: James II & from 1685 a group of allied families in Lincolnshire etc Waterhouse1953 p112.
Status: During his last years he was at least as popular as Kneller Waterhouse1953 pp 112 -3
Follower: Mary Beale Waterhouse1953 p113
..WISZNIEWSKI, Adrian, 1958-, Scotland:
Background: He was born in Glagow Wikip
Training: At the Mackintosh School of Architecture &, 1979-63, the Glasgow School of Art under Wikip
Influences: Sandy Moffat at the Glasgow School who encouraged a return to figurative art OxDicMod.
Career: Flat, decorative paintings mainly of young men & women with clear boundaries & in bright, decisive colour with little modulation or texturing Wikip
Oeuvre: Paintings, prints, sculpture, intallations, etc Wikip
Characteristics: Dramatic, large-scale figurative paintings
Grouping: The Glasgow School as now reincarnated as the Glasgow Pups, which also included Steven Campbell, Ken Curie & Peter Howson OxDicMod
Status: Glasgow School OxDicMod
Wit. See de Wit
-WITHOOS, Matthias, 1627-1703, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Amersfoort. The depiction of reptiles & insects in their natural surroundings was an Amsterdam speciality Haak p498
Training: Jacob van Campen & Otto Marseus van Schrieck Grove33 p264
Career: In 1648 he went to Italy with the above artists, joined the Schildersbent. Cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici was a patron. By 1653 he had returned to Amersfoort but moved to Hoorn when the French occupied it Grove33 p 264
Speciality: Paintings of the base of a tree trunk with a longer view of a sand-dune or hilly landscape containing small animals, reptiles & insects among thistles etc. The plants & wildlife are painstakingly portrayed often with striking areas of light & shade. Some works contain vanitas features & his cool colours help create a mysterious atmosphere Haak p498, Grove33 p264
Progeny: Three sons & two daughters were painters Grove33 p264
..WITKIEWICZ/WITKACY, Stanislaw, 1885-1939:
Background: He was born at Warsaw, the son of a painter & writer Grove33 p264
Training: At the Cracow Academy under Jan Staniislawski & Jozef Nehoffer GibsonM p244
Influences: Bocklin & Gauguin’s Synthercism Grove33p264.
Career: In 1914 he went to Australia with the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski as photographer & draughtsman & enlisted in the Russian army, becoming an officer. He took a pessimistic view of history due to the war & the Russian Revolution , was an arch provocateur & anti-aesthetic. From 1920 he produced a series of works parodying Symbolist painting & he gave up painting in 1925 declaring that art was dead. He committed suicide when the Russians invaded Grove33 pp 264-5, GibsonM pp 166, 176, 244
Oeuvre: Painting together with plays, novels & art theory GibsonM p244.
Phases/Characteristics: After abandoning naturalistic landscape, he painted flat, well-contoured forms in vivid colours. His works are delirious & aggressive with wild arabesques. In a period of monsters, 1908-14 he created fantastic creatures & deformed, ugly humans in Expressionist-like works Grove33 p264, GibsonM p244.
Grouping: Symbolism, although in 1919 he joined the Formalists of which he was a leading theorist. However his art has been declared unclassifiable GibsonM p244, Grove33 pp 264-5
..WITSEN, Willem, 1860-1923, Netherlands=Amsterdam:
Background: He was born at Amsterdam into a patrician family. His father was a prosperous businessman. The parents hosted musical soirees to which Brahms etc came B&B p249
Training: At the Amsterdam Academy, 1876-84, though he was absent for long periods B&B p249
Influence: Bastien-Lepage, Breton, Millet & especially Mauve B&B p149
Career: He & fellow students launched a review, De Nieuwe Gids, which was the most important mouthpiece for the young generation of writers & artists B&B p24
Oeuvre: Paintings, watercolours & etchings of landscapes, townscapes, rural genre with occasional still life & portrait B&B p24
Characteristics/Phases: During the 1880s landscapes & peasants at work were frequent but in the later 1880s he turned to sombre townscapes. He saw the city with its geometric facades & bridges as timeless beauty not like Isaac Israels as hustle & bustle B&B p249
Beliefs: Witsen thought than an artist was “more than an ordinary mortal…He is the privileged being whom Nature has placed above his fellow creatures “ B&B p13
Friends: Derkinderen, Karsen, Van Looy, Tholen, Toorrop, Veth, Breitneer & Isaac Israels, Mauve B&B p249 [Read comments on paintings pp 250-3]
Witte, Enabuel de. See de Witte
Wittel. See van Wittel
*WITZ, Konrad, b1410-c1446, Switzerland:
Background: He was born at Rottwell in Wurttemberg Grove33 p286
Influences: The Burgundian School, the Master of Flemalle & the van Eycks L&L, Grove33 p286
Career: He settled in Basle in 1434 L&L
Characteristics: He rejected former German lyricism. His figures painted in strong simple colour are study, monumental but strangely undramatic & static & painted sturdy, monumental figures in strong simple colour using pure tempera. Hence his work does not have jewel-like brilliance of Netherlandish painting. Other features include the effects of reflected & refracted light, cast shadows & one of the earliest night scenes in northern European art Grove33 p286-7, L&L
Status: He was one of the great innovators in northern European painting Grove33 p286
Influence & Repute: He had remarkably little influence on German art. Burchardt recognised his stature around 1900 Grove33 p288.
..WOJTKIEWICZ, Witold, 1879-1909, Poland:
Background: He was born in Warsaw, & his father was chief cashier at Bank Handlowy Wikip
Training: At the Warsaw School of Drawing under Jan Kauzik & the Krakow Academy of fine Arts under Leon Wyczolkowski, 1903-4 Wikip
Career: His sketches of the Warsaw rising were wisely circulated. Also in 1905 he joined the new Group of Five/Grupa Pieciu & around 1908 the Society of Polish Artists /Sztuka, exhibiting widely in Poland & Austria Wikip
Oeuvre: Paintings, illustrations & prints Wikip
Speciality: The theme of childhood GibsonM p174
Characteristics: He was an excellent colourist. His work usually combines the lyrical & grotesque & his style darkened towards the end of his life which was was shortened by a congenital heart defect GibsonM pp 174, 245
Influence: His work made such an impact on Maurice Denis & Andre Gide that they organised an exhibition for him GibsonM p245
Grouping: Symbolism that was close to Expressionism & anticipated Surrealism GibsonM p245
Feature: The Watercolours he painted for Zielony Balonik cabaret are at the Jama Michalika café in the Old Town, Cracow
-WOLF, Caspar, 1735-83, Switzerland:
Background: He was born at the village of Muri im Aagau into a family of cabinet makers Grove33 p291
Training: Under Jacob von Lenz, the episcopal court painter, in Konstanz from 1749; & in the studio of de Loutherbourg in Paris around 1769-71. Here he absorbed the new valuation of mountain landscape & sea storms Grove33 p291, L&L
Influences: Vernet L&L}
Career: Between around 1753 & 1759 he was an itinerant painter in South Germany. From 1774 he was based in Berne but from 1773 to 1778 made Alpine sketching tours. From 1777 he moved from place to place painting, searching for clients & exhibiting. During 1779 he was in Paris & in 1771 he worked in cologne & Dusseldorf Grove33 pp 291-2
}Characteristics/Phases/Grouping: His Alpine work was both topographically exact & a depiction of the forces of nature. However it was pre-Romantic because as his Lauteraagletscher, 1776, shows men are in charge, apparently engaged in rational discussion of the sublime wonders of nature. He particularly relished gushing waterfalls, the blue-green ice fall of the glacier, & above all rocks, where he appreciated their their geological structure. His paintwork was of the thinly stretched type typical of the time. Although Wolf continued to paint Alpine landscapes even in the Rhineland, his late work included pictures of lowlands & castles Grove33 p292, Honour1979 pp28-9.
First artist to specialise in Alpine views L&L
Status: He was the leading Swiss landscapist of the 18th century Grove33 p291
Patronage: In 1772 he painted sea-storms & landscapes for the Lucerne collector Joseph Balthasar & around 1773 received a large order for Alpine landscapes from a Berne publisher from which he made prints Grove33 p291
..WOLFE, Edward, 1897-1982, England (South Africa etc):
Background: He was born in Johannesburg Shone1977 p236
Training: He attended night school while working in a jeweller’s shop, received lessons under George Smithard & then in England at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art. In 1917 he went to the Slade Shone1977 p236
Career: He arrived in England in 1916, worked with Roger Fry at the Omega Workshop, 1917-9, returned to South Africa in 1920, & was then in Paris, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Tangier, & during 1934-6 New York & Mexico. He joined the London Group in 1923, belonged to the London Artists Association with whom he exhibited in 1930 & 1934, & during 1926-31 belonged to 7+5 Between 1940 & 1945 he worked at the BBC. He became an RA in 1972 Chamot pp 96, 126, Shone1977 p236
Oeuvre: Portraits, stage scenery, etc Chamot p126
Characteristics: Gifted with a sense of colour, he conveys the strange beauty of exotic types & the profusion of Baroque architecture under blazing southern sun. He might be called an English Gauguin Chamont p96
-WOLFF, Johann Andreas, 1652-1716, Germany:
Background: His father was the painter Jonas Wolff Grove33 p296
Training: His father & Balthasar Ableither Grove33 p296
Influences: Initially Johann Schonfeld & later Johann Loth Grove33 p296
Career: He was court Painter to the Elector of Bavaria & to the Bishop of Freiburg L&L
Oeuvre: He was prolific, painting altarpieces for churches in Bavaria & Upper Austria & ceilings of mythological & historical subjects for the Munich Residenz L&L
-..WOLFFORT/WOLLFORDT/WOLFFAERTS, Artus, 1581-1641, Belgium:
Background: He was born in Antwerp Baldock p25
Training: Dordrecht & briefly Van Veen Vlieghe p44
Career: In 1581 the family moved to Dordrecht. He became a mster in Dordrecht Guild in 1603. He returned to Antwerp in 1615 Baldock p25
Oeuvre: Historical & mythological scenes Baldock p25
Speciality: Scenes of Christ & sets of paintings of apostles, evangelists & church fathers Vlieghe p44
Characteristics: His figures, following Van Veen, are classicism but the compositions & motifs are Rubenesque. From around 1630s his style rather livelier Vlighe p44
Studio: It was obviously large as there are differing versions of varying quality Vlieghe p44
Grouping: He was, together with Adam van Nort etc, one of a remarkable group of Antwerp painters who blended the pre-Rubensian style in which they were trained & Baroque monumentality & on occasion eroticism Vlieghe pp 42-3, Baldock p25
Patrons: His studio obviously worked for open market Vlieghe p44
Pupils: van Mol & van Lint Vlieghe pp 44, 87
Repute: He was largely unknown until the 1970s Baldock p25
-WOLS/SCHULZE, Alfred, 1913-51, Germany/France:
Background: He was born in Berlin but grew up in Dresden where his father became head of the Saxon State Chancellory OxDicMod
Training: Briefly at the Bauhaus in Berlin during 1932 OxDicMod
Influences: Dix & Grosz & especially Klee Everitt p42
Career: In 1932 he moved to Paris where he met Arp, Giacometti, Leger etc & worked as a photographer. He moved to Spain in 1933 & was imprisoned in 1935 for political activities. Back in France he was official photographer at the 1937 International Exhibition. He was interned but was liberated in 1940 & lived in poverty in the south of France. Here he made drawings evoking a mysterious world. Wols was befriended by Sartre & de Beauvoir whose books he illustrated OxDicMod. At the suggestion of a gallery owner he reluctantly embarked on a series of oil paintings which were rapidly executed in an almost hypnotic state Everitt p43 By the late 1940s he began to make a name as a painter but died of food poisoning OxDicMod
Characteristics/Phases: His aquatints & watercolours are small, delicately worked but grim & sometimes ghastly L&L. The mature oils have free, gestural & unplanned brushwork. Threaded squiggles are traced in a vague, uncertain, coloured space Everitt p43
Personal: His life-style was eccentric & Bohemian, & he drank heavily Everitt p43
Status: Wols is regarded as a master of expressive abstraction & sometimes as a European Pollock OxDicMod
Grouping: Art Informel OxDicMod
..WONNACOTT, John, 1940, England:
Background: He was born in London Wilcox1990 Pl 72
Training: 1958-63 at the Slade under Aurtbach & for one term by Michael Andrews Wilcox1990 p34, Pl 72
Career: In 1963 he realised that his work must be based on “a direct confrontation with appearances”. During 1978-86 he taught at the Life Room at the Norwich Schof Art with John Lessore Wilcox pp 17, 35
Influences: Initially by Auerbach & also by Michael Wilcox1990 p34
Technique: He makes on-the-spot drawings with the camera only being used to back up memory Wilcox p17
Speciality: Large pictures with a wide angle of vision, but also small paintings Wilcox1990 p34
Characteristics: His paint surface is flattish & even & he captures the direct visual experience captured Wlcox1990 pp 17, 34
Aim: “My aim was to construct, through a wrestling by trial & error with the materials, an image intense enough to be matched against the presence of the ‘real’ seen object” Wilcox p34
Grouping: His inclusion with the Photo-Realists is inaccurate Wilcox1990 p17
Status: inaccurate inclusion with PhotReals Wilcox1990 p17
-Christopher WOOD, 1901-30, England:
Background: He was born at Knowsley, near Liverpool, the son of a doctor OxDicMod, Harrison p185
Training: After briefly studying architecture at Liverpool University he went to the Academie Julian in Paris,1921 OxDicMod
Influences: His discovery of Alfred Wallis in 1928 confirmed his taste for a simple, folkish vision L&L
Career: Between 1922 & 1924 he travelled widely in Europe & North Africa with the Chilean diplomat Antonio Gandarillas. He visited museums & worked sporadically. Around 1923 he began smoking opium on which he became dependent during the latter 1920s. He joined the 7+5 Society in 1927. In 1929 & 1930 he went to Britany where he produced his most impressive work. He committed suicide probably because of his drug addiction Grove33 p342, Harrison p187
Oeuvre: Paintings & abortive ballet design Grove33 p342
Characteristics/Phases: His painting during 1924-7 reflected that of Picasso, Cocteau & Moise Kisling when at less adventurous, together with an admixture of Augustus John. Only when he had left Paris behind around 1926 was he able to develop an individual style assisted by new friendship with the Nicholsons. With their encouragement he began using enasmerls & glazes to produce effects differing from those normally available & paintings tending to fantasy in a modified primatiist style Harrison pp186-9, ShearerW1996
Friends: Picasso, Cocteau & Diaghilev OxDicMod
Verdict: Opinions differ. His work is perhaps not sufficiently substantial to justify counting him among the major English painters of the period. His feeling for place & brillian colour sense enabled him to produce some of the most concise, yet lyrical, landscapes ot the century Harrison p187, Spalding1986 p67
Repute: He is regarded as a youthful genius cut off in his prime, eg with a sense of colour asif his life had been spent within a rainbow OxDicMod
-Grant WOOD, 1892-1942, USA:
Background: He was born on a farm in Iowa OxDicMod
Training: He was largely self-taught but in 1933 went to the Academie Julian, Paris OxDicArt
Influences: The stylised rounded hills & clumps of trees on his mother’s willow-pattern plates (See Stone City, Iowa); & also Flemish painting with its meticulous nature, bright palette & suppression of surface texture) Hughes1997 pp 439-40. He was probably also influenced by Neue Sacklichkeit (1928) OxDicArt
Milestones: The influence in 1928 of the Flemish paintings which he saw in Munich when he was supervising a stained-glass window commission for a church in Cedar Rapids OxDicArt. In 1930 he painted his first stylised landscape Jennings p91
Career: He spent much of his life in Cedar Rapids, working early on as a teacher & interior decoration etc as well as painting. In 1930 American Gothic gained national attention OxDicMod. His work, together with that of Benton & Curry, was featured in the Xmas 1934 issue of Time magazine Hughes1997 p438. Wood supervised several Iowa under kings of the Federal Art Project. In 1934 he became assistant Professor of fine arts at the University of Iowa OxDicMod
Characteristics: His early work was in an Impressionist style, but under Flemish influence he adopted a meticulous, sharply detailed manner in which he painted ordinary people & everyday life in Iowa, combining perceptive insight & dry caricature. He also painted vigorous stylised landscapes OxDicArt
Personal: He was a timid deeply closeted homosexual Hughes1997 p439
Grouping: Regionalism OxDicMod
.. WOOD, William, 1769-1810, England; British Golden Age:
Background: Born in Suffolk Sotheby’s on web
Training: At the RA School from 1785 Sotheby’s on web
Career: He exhibited at the RA & British Institution from about 1788 to 1808, & was a founder member of the Associated Artists in Water Colour, 1807, becoming its President from 1808-9 Sotheby’s on web
Oeuvre: He painted miniatures on ivory webimages
Innovations: In 1792 he painted a notable portrait of Joanna de Silva as in The Met. She was a Bengali nursemaid but is accorded the dignified & individualised portrayed as she would have if she been a member of the British upper class See Budick FT 9-10/12/23
Verdict: He was an accomplished painter webimages
-WOODCOCK, Robert, c1691-1728, England:
Career: He was an accomplished musician who in 1723 began to paint copies of Willem van de Velde the Younger L&L
Oeuvre: He was a marine painter Waterhouse 1953 p153
Verdict: He was a lessor echo of Monamy [& must therefore have been a minor figure] Waterhouse1953 p153
..WOODVILLE, Richard, 1825-55, USA:
Background: He born in Baltimore Norman1977
Training: -1850 at Dusseldorf under Sohn Norman1977
Career: Initially he studied medicine but turned to painting in 1845: the year he went abroad, never to return. All his American genre scenes were painted in Dusseldorf, though he sent his works home for exhibition at the American Art-Union, where they were much admired. He committed suicide in London Norman1977, Groseclose p76
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Humerous scenes of American bourgeois life in a highly finished style Norman1977
First: American genre painter to study abroad Norman1977
Grouping: The Dusseldorf School Norman1977
-WOOTTON, John, c1683-1756:
Background: He was born at Snitterfield, Warwickshire Grove33 p375
Training: Jan Wyck in the later 1600s Waterhouse1953 p156
Career: In 1694 he assisted Sibrechts Waterhouse1953 p297. During the 1720s Wootton went to Rome where he discovered Dughet & Claude L&L. Around 1720 he became a major landscape producer initially in Dughet’s manner, then from the 1740s in that of Claude Solkin2015 p69. He painted a sporting series for Longleat, & around 1734 for Althorp Waterhouse1953 p297
Oeuvre: Sporting pictures including horse portraits, conversation pieces, hunt groups, hounds, lap dogs (early) Waterhouse1953 p297
Characteristics: His horse portraits vary little from 1714 onwards ie they measure 40×50” with a profiled horse which is held by a groom with an indication of classical stables at the side. Sometimes there is a dog, classical pot, or another groom Waterhouse1953 p297
Circle: Those patronised by Edward Harley (2nd Earl of Oxford & the statesman’s son), namely Pope, Defoe, Swift, Gibbs & Thornhill. Harley was, like his circle, a Tory. He rejected the Hanoverian court, its Whig supporters & the politicised passion for Palladianism Adlam pp 35-6
Innovations: Classicising landscape in the manner of Dughet & British sporting painting L&L, Waterhouse1953 p156
Verdict: His best sporting pictures are those whish include landscape, not the pure horse portraits Waterhouse1953 pp 297-8. Constable said that lacking manual dexterity he left landscape in unredeemed poverty & coarseness Leslie p311. And his landscapes have a pastiche Claudian manner Kitson 1969 p9
Collaborators: Dahl Waterhouse1953 p297
Pupils: Lambert Waterhouse1953 p156
Collections: Temple Newsam for landscapes Waterhouse1953 p155
-WOUWERMAN/WOUWERMANS, Philips, 1619-68, Netherlands=Haarlem:
Background: He was born Haarlem Haak p387
Influences: Pieter van Laer & the Italiante landscape L&L, Haak p143.
Speciality: Small genre scenes & landscapes with horses mostly on panels L&L, Haak p387
Characteristics: His phenomenal technique scacely slackened & appears effortless. He was a sensitive colourist with a feeling for atmosphere, varied composition & narrative. At first he portrayed ordinary rather boney animals but later painted more spirited horses in army camps, cavalry charges & hunting parties. His landscapes contain many acutely observed figures in a silver-grey & blond tone Haak p387
Status: The best Dutch painter of horseflesh in the 18th century L&L
Reception/Repute: He was enormously successful & his fame extended well into the 19th century Haak p387
Brothers: Pieter & the inferior Jan were also painters Haak p387
Collections: The Hermitage & Dresden
..WOJTKIEWICZ, Witold, 1879-1909, Poland:
-WOUWERMANS, Philips, 1619-68, Netherlands:
.. Ferdiand von WRIGHT, , 1805-68, Magnus’ brother, Finland: National Romanticism and sometimes British Golden Age:
Background: His father was a retired army officer & member of the landed gentry with a family manor house, Haminanlahti Ateneum p36
Training: Instruction from his elder brothers & at the Konstakadamien in Stockholm from 1837 Ateneump39, Kent p74, but See Atheneum p39.
Influences: Caspar David Friedrich Kent p74.
Career: During 1837-44 he lived in Sweden helping Wilhelm . By the 1870s he was a recluse building a house at Haminanlahti to be alone Grove33p411, Ateneum p40
Oeuvre: Bird & animal paintings, landscapes & genre Ateneum pp 38-40, Grove33 p411.
Phases/Characteristics: From the early 1850s, when staying with Wilhelm on the Finnish west coast, he quickly became a fine landscape artist painting romantic, lyrical & sometimes dramatic & monumental works, but he then largely returned to bird subjects. He painted the animal world as a pitiless struggle frequently with birds of prey tearing their victims Grove33 p411 Ateneum pp 38-9. However his colouring, & sometimes his subject matter, are gentle, hrmonious & tranquil Ateneum pp 38, 40, 42-4, Kent pp 75-6.
Innovations/Legacy: His landscapes of the 1850s helped revive Finnish nationalism Grove33 p411.
** Joseph WRIGHT, of Derby, 1734-97; Neo-Classicism and Romantic Picturesque Movement
Background: He was born in Derby, the son of an attorney. There was a wide contemporary interest in scientific & technological advance Grove33 pp 412-3
Training: Thomas Hudson, 1751-3 & 1756-7 Grove33 p412
Influences: The art of the Dutch 17th century masters such as Honthorst & Van Schalcken who specialised in artificial light effects & the eruptions of Vesuvius by Piere-Jacques which were a strong influence during Wright’s Italian tour Volaire DIA p66, Wakefield p163
Career: He mostly lived in Derby & throughout his life painted the rising middle & professional classes, & the local landed gentry. Such portraiture was his main source of income & in 1760 he travelled through surrounding districts seeking commissions. Between 1768 & 71 he lived in Liverpool & in 1773 he went to Italy with his pupil Richard Hurlstone, the portrait painter Downman & the sculptor James Paine. He lived in Rome, sketched in the Campagna went to Naples, witnessing an eruption of Vesuvius; returned in 1795; had one of his longest bouts of depression & was unable to work; spent two years in Bath trying unsuccessfully to occupy the position Gainsborough had vacated; & then settled in Derby. He visited the Lakes during 1793-4 Grove33 pp 412, 414-5; Egerton p213, L&L, WestS1996
Oeuvre: Portraits both individual & group, landscapes, genre, works with literary themes Grove33 pp412-5
Feature/Speciality: He had a lifelong preoccupation with the effects of light as shown by his paintings of mysterious grottos as in A Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Sunset, 1773-75 (No copyright); eruptions of Vesuvius with over 30 paintings inspired by the volcano during a period of 20 years as in An Eruption of Venus, seen from Portici, c1775 (University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); smithies & forges; fireworks as in the Annual Girandole, at the Castle of St Angelo, Rome, c1776 (The Walker, Liverpool); burning cottages as in A Cottage on Fire, c1787 (Institute of Arts, Minneapolis), landscapes with dramatic cloud effects, etc as in Landscape near Beddgelert, North Wales, c1793 (Private but in the Public Domain; scenes of moonlight & sunset as in Landscape with Rainbow, c1795 (Museum & Art Gallery, Derby) Egerton pp 7, 104-5, 162-63, 182, 189; Grove33 p414-15, webimage
Phases: During the early 1760s he began to paint figures in dark interiors illuminated by candles or lamps, as in A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery 1766 (Derby Art Gallery) & An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768 (Tate Gallery), an orrery being a clockwork model of the universe. These paintings uniquely combine the scientific portrait group, the emotional response of participants, & striking light & dark. Between 1771 & 1773 he painted several nocturnal scenes of industrial subjects as in a Blacksmith’s Shop, 1771 (Yale Centre for British Art & Museum & Art Gallery, Derby). And following his Italian visit he produced night scenes of Vesuvius. Besides these & other scenes dealing with light, such as fireworks, he produced scenes of man confronted by death around 1770, & increasingly painted works inspired by literature & landscapes, both British & Italian. His most original contributions to English landscape were moonlit views around Matlock Grove33 pp 413-5, Honour1968 p98, Waterhouse1953 p288. Around 1772 he began painting pure landscape as in Matlock Tor by Daylight, c1785 (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge). Here he paints a view which is not melodramatic but a confident, thoughtful, sophisticated & delicate scene Egerton pp 176-77, 184, webimage
Characteristics: His portraits are direct & attractive but do not appear to flatter. He was excellent at rendering drapery. The later portraits have more penetrating characterisation & the colouring is generally more subdued. The paintings of scientific experiments have great clarity & make a powerful impact. His landscapes feature careful observation without the loss of aesthetic values. Both his portraits & his scientific genre depict individuals who display their feelings in accord with the ethos of the age as in the portrait of Brooke Boothby, 1781 (Tate Gallery) who is reclining in a wood with a volume inscribed Rousseau. He is a man of feeling [& sensibility] Grove33 pp 413-5, Honour1977 p98, Vaughan1999 p92, Egerton pp 116-17, Shawe-Taylor pp 76-80
Innovations: He was the first major English painter to work outside London all his life. He produced the first paintings to express the enthusiasm of the 18th century for science, was the first professional painter to reflect the spirit of the industrial revolution, he appears to have been the first artist to recognise the drama of modern industry when viewed at night as in An Iron Forge, 1771 (Tate Britain), & by discovering unusual subject matter such as grottos he greatly enriched the artistic scene Grove33 p412, Klingender1968 pp 51, 54-5, Fig 19, DIA pp 66-67.
Friends/Circle: Erasmus Darwin who treated Wright as a patient from the 1760s when Darwin lived in Lichfield; John Hamilton Mortimer & Brooke Boothby; & in Italy George Romney, Ozias Humphry & Jacob More, & also those who belonged to the Derby Philosophical Society, which Darwin established in 1783 soon after he moved into Derby, though Wright probably never joined web re Derby Philosophical Society, Grove33 pp 412, 414.
Patronage: Upper class buyers & wealthy industrialists such as John Milnes & John Leigh Phillips Solkin2015 p223
Grouping: Neo-Classicism Honour1968 p98
Repute: Wright’s importance has been acknowledged & he has been credited with having greatly enriched the artistic scene of his period. [However, he has not been elevated to a position in British painting on a par with that of Constable]. DIA p67
Collection: Derby Art Gallery
..Magnus von WRIGHT, 1805-68, Ferdinand’s brother, Finland:
Background: His father was a retired army officer & member of the landed gentry with a family manor house, Haminanlahti Ateneum p36
Training: He was self-taught Ateneum p35
Career: He moved to Stockholm in 1828 & from then until 1838 published Svenska Foglar (Swedish Birds) with Wilhelm, illustrations that made their reputation in Finland & Sweden. After settling in Helsinki in 1830 he was a key figure in the development of Finnish art & from 1847 taught at the University Grove33 p411
Oeuvre & Characteristics: Small-scale paintings of animals, rural genre & village scenes in oil & watercolour painted in a muted & atmospheric colour & tone Ateneum pp38-41, Grove33 p410
Feature: At the remote Haminanlahti estate colours were to begin with improvised using coffee, tar & plants Ateneum p36
Innovations: He first made winter a Finnish subject & paints first known townscapes Ateneum pp 35, 39.
Grouping: His work has a Biedermeier quality Grove33 p411
*Michael/John Michael WRIGHT, 1617-c1700;
Background: He was born in London & his father was a tailor HookJ p188
Teacher: Jamesone in Edinburgh 1636 L&L
Career: He became a Catholic. By1647 he was in Rome where he enrolled in the Academy of S. Luke, acquiring a somewhat superficial Baroque style. After moving to Flanders he was back in England in 1656. During the 1660s he painted Dobson-like portraits, & around 1670 Levesque paintings; in 1671-5 portraits of officials following the Great Fire; & in the 1670s worked under French influence. During 1685-7 he accompanied a mission to Innocent XI as steward. This opened the way for Kneller to become Lely’s successor. He became an impassioned antiquary, with his painting possibly a pot-boiling side line L&L;Waterhouse1953 pp 106-10, W&M pp 185-6
Characteristics: He was more sensitive to character than Lely & his female portraits are less flattering. However, his portraits are of a kindly nature & an unsophisticated frankness is the most marked characteristic of his sitters. His sense of composition was limited & his technique was entirely unlike Lely’s: thin & normally cold, pale paint Waterhouse1953 p1 L&L, W&M pp185-6
Status: He was one of Lelly’s greatest rivals HookJ p188
Patrons: He was popular with Catholics: Bagots, Stonors, Howards & Arundells W&M p186
Wihelm von WRIGHT, 1810-87, brother of Magnus & Ferdinand, Finland
Background: He was born at Harminalahti Grove33 p411.
Training: Mostly from his brothers Atheneum p39
Career: In 1828 he began working with Magnus in Stockholm on bird illustrations for Svenska Fogler. He became a Swedish citizen, worked as a draughtsman for the Academy of Sciences, 1835-8, & in 1840s moved to the island of Orust whwew he was a fisheries inspector. Due to paralysis he was unable to work after 1856 Grove33 p411
Oeuvre & Characteristics: He was the most productive & versatile of the brothers drawing, colouring & lithographing diverse members of the animal kingdom with great precision & a keen eye for decorative & colour effects. There were also a few oils Grove33 p411.
*WTEWAEL/WTTEWAEL/UYTEWAEL, Joachim, 1566-1638, Netherlands; Mannerism Movement
Background: He was born at Utrecht Haak p535
Training: Anthonis, his father NGUtrecht p23
Influences: Blocklandt, & Spranger through prints & via Van Haarlem. In France he encountered elegant French Mannerism evolved at Fontainbleau Haak p172, NGUtrecht p23
Career: During 1586-8 he was in Italy, & between 1588 & 1590 in France. He then settled in Utrecht where in 1611 he helped found the the St Luke’s Guild L&L, OxDicArt, Haak p172
Oeuvre: Mainly biblical, mythological & allegorical subjects, & also portraits, kitchen scenes Haak p172, L&L
Characteristics: He painted small, bright & precious works for collectors. They were distinctive, artificial, sophisticated & charming in acidic colours & with elegant & distorted figures. These are numerous & often nude with skin that tends to look metallic or enamel-like L&L, OxDicArt, Haak p172
Grouping/Style: Sprangerian Mannerism, Utrecht Mannerism NGUtrecht p23, L&L
Progeny: his son Peter was also a painter L&L
Collections: Central Museum, Utrecht
Wttewael. See Wtewael
..WYATT, Henry, : 1794-1840, England, British Golden Age
Background: He was born at Thickbroom near Lichfield Wikip
Training: At the Royal Academy Schools, 1812, & in the studio of Sir thomas Lawrence, 1815 Wikip
Career: He was brought up by his guardian Francis Edington, a well-know Birmingham glass painter. Wyatt established himself as a provincial portraitist in 1817 & settled in London, 1825. He exhibited numerous works at the RA during 1817-38 Wikip
Oeuvre: Portraits & some subject & genre pictures Wikip
Characteristics: He was a skilful draftsman & a good colourist & his portraits were very Lawrence-like Wikip, webimages
-Jan WYCK, 1652-1700, Thomas’s son, England (Netherlands):
Background: He was born in Haarlem Grove33 p176
Influences: Wouwermans for his battle scenes W&M p275
Career: He is first documented in 1674 when he was in England where he mostly painted. Wyck travelled throughout the British Isles Grove33 p177, Waterhouse1953 p154
Oeuvre: Battle scenes, officers on horseback, marine paintings, & landscapes Grove33 p177
Specialities: Battle pieces, & broad panorama pictures, including sporting groups Waterhouse1953 p154
Characteristics: Many of his battle scenes & equestrian scenes have Turkish or Moorish figures with a sense of fantasy. His small military equestrian portraits are lively & vigorous W&M p275
Innovation: He was the first important English painter of hunting scenes Grove33 p177
Patron: The Duke of Lauderdale W&M p275
Reception: His hunting scenes brought him fame Grove33 p177
Pupil: Wootton Waterhouse1953 p154
..Thomas WYCK/WIJCK, Thomas, c1616-77, Jan’s father, Netherlands:
Background: He was born at Beverwijck near Haarlem Grove33 p175
Influences: The low-life bambbocciata paintings of the early 1640s & Adriaen van Ostade for his late interiors Grove 33 p176, Haak p391
Career: He went to Italy but was back in Haarlem in 1642 when he enrolled in the Guild of St Luke. He appears to have remained in Haarlem until the 1660s when he visited England Grove33 pp 175-6, Whaterhouse1953 p154
Oeuvre/Characteristics: Wyck painted the Roman backstreets with an overwhelming emphasis on the urban setting . He did so both In Italy & after his return. Wyck also painted views of the Gulf of Naples with travellers & orientals in the foreground . Late on he produced interior genre scenes, usually with a philosopher or alchemist, & views of London prior to the Great Fire Grove33 pp175-6 , Haak p391
Verdict: He was the best of the minor Haarlem painters Haak p391
-WYETH, Andrew, 1917-2009, USA:
Background: He was born at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Grove33 p451. His father (Newall Wyeth, 1882-1945) was a highly successful illustrator of children’s books OxDicMod
Training: His father gave him a rigorous training in draftsmanship Grove33 p451
Influences: In 1945 his father was killed in a railway accident & the accident accentuated a developing introspective melancholy & tendency. He greatly admired Durer Grove33 p451
Career: Owing to fragile health he was taught at home by tutors & his father Grove33 p451. In 1948 he made his name with Christina’s World L&L. He painted places & people in the Bradwardine Valley Pennsylvania & he had a summer house in Maine OxDicArt. Between 1970 & 1985 he produced numerous drawings, 67 watercolours & four temperas of Helga (Test of), both clothed & nude Hughes1997 p596
Oeuvre: Landscapes &, from the 1960s, portraits Grove33 p451
Phases: Inspired by Winslow Homer he began by painting impressionistic watercolours which captured the fleeting effects of light & movement, but by the early 1940s he had begun to use egg tempera on gesso board. He also employed drybrush watercolour in which a fine brush is squeezed almost dry Grove33 p451
Characteristics: His works are severe & joyless but nostalgic, including weathered wooden houses & deserted rooms etc L&L. Although he placed great emphasis on observation, many details were often paired away in series of watercolour studies for a work. He favoured restrained earth colours Grove33 p451
Verdict: Critical opinion about the quality of his work differs widely. It has been criticised as routine, lacking observation & banal L&L, OxDicArt. However, his exact technique & the intensity of his focus has been seen as enabling him to capture the strangeness of individual human existence Prendeville p154.
Repute: His work has been enormously popular in the USA, & in 1976 he was accorded a large retrospective at the Met, the first ever for a living American artist Grove33 p451
Gossip: In 1986 there was a headline disclosure of the hidden Helga pictures. However Wyeth’s wife knew about them & owned several Hughes1997 pp 596-7
..WYLD, William, 1806-89:
Background: His father & grandfather were prominent London merchants & he was prevented from developing his gift for drawing lest he might become an artist ThompsonJ p 161
Training: Louis Francia WoodDic
Career: After a post in the diplomatic service, the management of wine business in Epernay, 1827-33, visited Algeria & Venice where he sketched stated exhibiting regularly at the Salon , & became a full-time artist in 1833-4. He mainly lived in Paris. In 1852 he was invited to Balmoral & painted watercolour views of the area Grove33 pp 451-2, WoodDic, M&M p161
Patronage: He had little difficulty establishing himself in the art world because of his contacts through the wine trade M&M p161
Oeuvre: Landscapes & views of France, England , Venice, etc, & topographical works, mainly in watercolour; also lithographs WoodDic
Speciality: Highly worked & often brilliantly coloured views of capital cities at a distance in early morning or evening light Grove33 p452
Innovations: He played an important part in developing watercolour in France WoodDic
Friends: Bonington, Ary Scheffer, Paul Delaroche, Horace Vernet WoodDic, Wikip, Grove33 p451
Repute: He has been neglected by French critics as English & vice versa, & attacked as a myth-making Orientalist M&M
Wynants. See Wijnants
..WYNFIELD, David Wilkie, 1837-87, David West’s great nephew: Troubadour Movement
Background: He was born in India, the son of a Captain in the Indian Army M&M p75
Training: Under J. M. Leigh from 1856 M&M p 75
Career: He was a founder of the St John’s Wood Clique & lived there & exhibited at the RA during 1859-87. Wynfield was a pioneer photographer, & had a formative influence on Julia Margaret Cameron WoodDic, M&M p74-5
Oeuvre: Historical genre mainly of subjects from 16th & 17th century England WoodDic
Characteristics: He favoured sombre events: deaths , falls, arrests, partings & unrequited love. His sombre colours & subject in Cromwell on the Night before his Death, 1867, were typical though not for the St John’s Wood School M&M pp 75, 81
..WYSPIANSKI, Stanislaw, 1869-1907, Poland=Cracow:
Background: He was born in Cracow, the son of a well-known sculptor Norman1977, Gibson p245
Training: 1887 at the Cracow Academy under Matejko. In Paris he he occasionally attended the academie Colarossi Gibson p245
Career: During 1891-4 he was in Paris, where he met Gauguin. He travelled widely but returned to Poland in 1894. Wyspianski led Stzuka, the Cracow secessionist movement, founded in 1897. In 1904 he became a teacher at the Cracow Art School Norman1977. He was a leader of the Young Poland movement & patriotically married a peasant girl Gibson pp 165, 245. During 1904-5, when dying of syphilis, he painted 16 patriotic views of the Kosciuszka Mound from the window of his atelier, although their symbolism is far from obvious HowardJ p215
Oeuvre: Paintings, illustrations & design Norman1977
Innovations: He was a pioneer of Art Nouveau in Poland Gibson p245
Features: Stained-glass windows (1896-1902) in the Franciscan Church, Cracow Gibson p172. He painted frescoes for many Polish churches Norman1977
Collections: Cracow Norman1977