Product Description

One of the greatest Baroque artists, Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck, was born in 1599, on the eve of the seventeenth century, in Antwerp. To honor the 400th anniversary of his birth, an exhibition of 100 masterpieces by Van Dyck is being held at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (May 15-August 15) and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in London (September 11-December 3). This blockbuster show features many rarely-seen works on loan from private collections, the British Royal Collection, and museums and churches in Europe.

"Anthony Van Dyck 1599-1641," the catalogue for this landmark exhibition is the only complete survey of Van Dyck's exceptional artistic career. Edited by Dr. Christopher Brown, director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and a noted authority on Van Dyck. This definitive book includes five insightful, exploratory essays on Van Dyck's career, superb color plates with details and comparative illustrations, a chronology, and each work's detailed history.

During his career, Van Dyck was internationally known as one of the most thoroughly European painters working during the Baroque era. He got his start at the age of 14 in the Antwerp studio of Peter Paul Reubens. At the age of 21, Van Dyck arrived in London, where he worked for King James for a year. From there, he went to Genoa, Rome, and Venice, where he studied the work of Titian, the supreme colorist of the Italian Renaissance. Van Dyck continued his travels through Sicily, back to Antwerp, and returned to London, where he spent his final years as the court painter to King Charles I. Van Dyck painted an impressive array of elegantly informal portraits of the aristocracy, nobility, and clergy, as well as mythological and religious scenes. His style highlights the best of the Baroque era, and marks Van Dyck as one of the greatest portraitists of the time (particularly notable when his contemporaries were Velazquez, Bernini, and Rembrandt). Each image captures the striking individuality of his sitters, while the details of dress are rendered with painterly caresses. His influence in England endured, as it is said that Gainsborough's last words were, "We are all going to heaven, and Van Dyck is of the company."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #941269 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-16
• Released on: 1999-07-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Amazon.com Review
Coinciding with the 1999 exhibitions of his paintings in Antwerp and London, Anthony van Dyck: 1599-1641 celebrates the 400th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Flemish painter. Van Dyck is perhaps best known for his religious paintings, which are outstanding examples of the Baroque style, and he is also considered one of the greatest portrait painters in an age of exceptional portraitists. He revolutionized royal portraiture in England by introducing more dynamic compositions, often incorporating the dramatic presence of a draped curtain leading out into a natural vista and open skies. Born in Antwerp to a wealthy merchant family, van Dyck began to paint at the age of 10 and had already earned the privilege of studying with Peter Paul Rubens by the time he was a teenager. He shared a workshop with Jan Brueghel the Younger, and his contemporaries included Poussin, Lorrain, and Velázquez. Later he would become court painter for King James of England, as well as for Charles I, and he immortalized their key subjects during the charged era of the English Civil War. He had a special talent for depicting his regal subjects with a relaxed elegance not seen in the more formal portraiture that had preceded him. And his ability to paint sumptuous fabrics is almost unparalleled.

This large, stately, cloth-covered hardback contains over 100 of van Dyck's masterpieces, including rarely seen works. Its 359 pages are lavishly illustrated with quality full-color reproductions, including painting details and preliminary drawings. A chronology, descriptions of each work, and essays by prominent scholars in the field make this the most authoritative volume on the artist to date. --A.C. Smith

From Library Journal
An exhibition catalog marking the 400th anniversary of the Flemish artist's birth, this is the first substantial English-language treatment since the Washington exhibition in 1990. Curatorial authors cover the chronological and geographic span of Van Dyck's brief life in 90 pages of essays, from his birth in Antwerp to his study with Rubens, years in Genoa, return to Antwerp and religious painting, and final years as chronicler of the Stuart court of Charles I in England. The authors write briefly and accessibly but without breaking new ground. The bulk of the book is detailed entries, chronologically arranged, on the 100-plus pictures in the exhibition, held in London and Antwerp. There are a generous number of comparative illustrations, though the plates are rather harshly colored, and each entry has full scholarly apparatus. Overall, this is a good visual summary of Van Dyck's life and work for public and academic art history collections.AJack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Dr. Christopher Brown is a noted authority on Van Dyck. He is formerly of the National Gallery in London, and was recently appointed director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Customer Reviews

A great catalogue
This book presents a great overview of Van Dyck's work. The reproductions are clear, and the commentary is helpful. Brown also provides insightful commentary regarding the influence of Rubens' work on Van Dyck. Highly recommended.

Disappointing reproductions
I was really disappointed when I received the book. Most reproductions are washed out and I kept wondering if I would love this Van Dyck's work any more if his paintings look like that. I've seen many originals and their reproductions in this book are too bad for a serious catalog.

an incredible painter, a fantastic exhibition.
One of the greatest painters of all time is well represented by his greatest paintings in this exhibition and hence - this catalog. Be prepared to be amazed by a painter of prodigious talent.