Cornelis Huysmans | |
---|---|
Born | Baptized on 2 April 1648, Antwerp |
Died | Mechelen | 1 June 1727,
Known for | Landscape painting |
Cornelis Huysmans [1] (baptized 2 April 1648 in Antwerp; died 1 June 1727 in Mechelen) was a Flemish landscape painter who was active in Antwerp, Brussels and Mechelen. [2] Huysmans held a foremost position in Flemish landscape painting in the late 17th and early 18th century and was particularly known for his pseudo-Italianate landscapes with mountains in the background, which show the influence of Nicolas Poussin and Jacques d'Arthois. [3]
Cornelis Huysmans was born in Antwerp to Hendrik Huysmans and Catharina van der Meyden (sometimes also referred to as 'Catharina van der Heyden'). [2] [4] His father's profession has been variously described as that of a 'bouwmeester' [2] (master builder) or that of a 'houtbreker, munter ende werckman in Sijne Majesteytsmunte' (wood breaker, coin maker and workman in His Majesty's Mint). [4]
Upon the early death of his parents, his guardian sent him to study under the landscape painter Gaspar de Witte. After completing his studies with de Witte, Cornelis Huysmans moved to Brussels to continue his studies. He set up permanent residence in Brussels between 1675 and 1682 although he continued to visit his hometown Antwerp. [4] He may have been a pupil or at least worked as an assistant in the studio of Jacques d'Arthois in Brussels. Huysmans worked for d'Arthois and drew landscapes from the Brussels area for two years. Around 1675 he did the same in the Meuse valley near Dinant and Namur. In 1675 he was admitted as an independent master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Brussels. [5] During a stay in Anwerp in 1681 the artist declared that he was at the time living in Brussels. [2]
The following year Huysmans moved to Mechelen. Here he married on 26 January 1682 Maria Anna Scheppers. The couple had two sons and one daughter. [4] His son Pieter Balthasar Huysmans, who was born on 7 January 1684, was trained by his father but died young in 1706. [6] From about 1686 to 1688, Cornelis Huysmans stayed in London where he appears to have enjoyed the patronage of prominent members of society. He created several large format landscapes for the London market. [5]
In 1688 Huysmans signed an agreement with the painters' guild of Mechelen, which allowed him to work as a painter in the city. He had to pay the guild 24 guilders and 14 stuivers for the privilege. [3] In Mechelen Huysmans created the large-scale altarpiece The Road to Emmaus for the local Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijle church in 1690. It is still in situ. [5] Possibly he later ran into some problems with the painters' guild in Mechelen as he moved back to Antwerp, where he was admitted as a master in the local Guild of St Luke in the guild year 1706–7. [3] He worked in Antwerp until 1716, the year in which he returned to Mechelen where he continued to work until his death in 1727. [2]
He was the first teacher of his younger brother Jan Baptist (1654–1716), who also became a landscape painter, as well as of his son Pieter Balthasar. [2] In Mechelen Augustus-Casimir Redel (August Casimir Redel or Ridel) and Jean Edmond Turner were his pupils. [3]
Cornelis Huysmans is mainly known for his landscape works although he also created some religious and history paintings. [5] He worked with Jacques d'Arthois in Brussels, and in 1674 with Adam Frans van der Meulen in Maastricht.
Huysmans' landscapes are characterised by their intensive and precise observations of nature, especially in his rendering of forests and trees. [5] While there is some similarity with the Arcadian works of Poussin with their classical architecture, the major influence on the artist was Jacques d'Arthois. His highly decorative compositions often depict the edge of a forest with a sandy bank in the foreground. He often used a clearing to create a diagonal in his compositions. He used contrasts between colours and between the sharp light falling on roads and the dark hues of the tree trunks and foliage casting shadows to create a dramatic effect. His works were executed in bold brushstrokes. [3] His use of similar compositional devices in his landscapes creates the impression of uniformity between his works. [7]
Unlike Jacques d'Arthois, Huysmans bathed his landscapes in a warm, Italian light. The decidedly Mediterranean appearance was further emphasized through his choice of vegetation and architecture, which had a southern flavour. Huysmans thus succeeded in giving his landscapes an air of grandeur. [5]
His works are in the collections of various museums including the Louvre in Paris (eight works), the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, the Museum of modern art André Malraux - MuMa in Le Havre, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Musée des beaux-arts de Valenciennes and others. [5]
Lucas Achtschellinck was a Flemish landscape painter. He is counted among the landscape painters active in Brussels referred to as the School of Painters of the Sonian Forest who all shared an interest in depicting scenes set in the Sonian Forest, which is located near Brussels.
Gonzales Coques was a Flemish painter of portraits and history paintings. Because of his artistic proximity to and emulation with Anthony van Dyck he received the nickname de kleine van Dyck. Coques also worked as an art dealer.
Denis van Alsloot or Denijs van Alsloot was a Flemish landscape and genre painter, draughtsman, and tapestry designer. He was employed as a court painter and worked for the local elite in Brussels. He is considered to be a member of the Sonian Forest school of landscape painters, which included landscape painters such as Jacques d'Arthois and Cornelis Huysmans. These painters working in Brussels had a preference for depicting scenes from the Sonian Forest near Brussels. Van Alsloot was also a specialist in depicting civil processions, local festivals and ceremonies.
Cornelis Schut was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, engraver and tapestry designer who specialized in religious and mythological scenes. Presumed to have trained under Rubens, he treated Counter-Reformation subjects in a High-Baroque style. After a stay in Italy, he worked mainly in Antwerp where he was one of the leading history painters in the first half of the 17th century.
Lucas Franchoys the Younger or Lucas Franchoys II was a Flemish Baroque painter from Mechelen, who painted numerous altarpieces and portraits in a style reminiscent of Anthony van Dyck.
Pieter van Avont or Peter van Avont, (1600–1652) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and printmaker known for his religious scenes and cabinet paintings often including nude children and putti. Van Avont was a frequent collaborator with many leading painters in Antwerp.
Lodewijk de Vadder was a Flemish Baroque landscape painter, draughtsman, engraver and tapestry designer. His landscapes represent a move away from the Mannerist tradition of landscapes painting in Flemish art towards a more naturalistic approach exemplified by looser brushwork and an emphasis on atmospheric effects. He was the first Flemish landscape painter who painted dune landscapes as the primary feature of his landscapes. While his loose brush handling shows the influence of Rubens and Adriaen Brouwer, his restrained palette shows his awareness of developments in the Dutch Republic.
Jacques d'Arthois was a Flemish painter and tapestry designer who specialized in wooded landscapes with figures. He often depicted the woods around his native Brussels. Jacques d'Arthois was an influential painter and one of the few 17th century landscape painters from Brussels whose fame was remembered in the following centuries as his style was imitated and followed by many other landscape artists.
Charles Emmanuel Biset or Karel Emmanuel Biset was a Flemish painter who had a peripatetic career working in various cities and countries including his hometown Mechelen, Paris, Annonay, Brussels, Antwerp and Breda. He worked in many genres including genre scenes of interiors with merry companies and gallery paintings, history painting, still life and portraiture.
Jacques Fouquier, Jacques Fouquières or Jacob Focquier was a Flemish landscape painter. After training in Antwerp he worked in various places where he often obtained appointments as a painter to the court including that of the French kings. He earned great success and a very high reputation during his lifetime and was even referred to as the 'Flemish Titian'. Very few of his paintings have been preserved. His work was influential in his time and was widely circulated thanks to reproductions by various contemporary engravers.
Adriaen Frans Boudewijns was a Flemish landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher. He was known mainly for his landscapes with trees, Italianate landscapes with architecture, rivers and villages, city, coast and country views and architectural scenes.
Philips Augustijn Immenraet was a Flemish landscape painter and engraver. While staying largely within the traditional scheme of the Flemish Baroque landscape, Immenraet introduced a new brightness and broke with the traditional compositional scheme of obliquely receding planes. His best works already display a pre-Romantic character.
Willem Jacob Herreyns was a Flemish painter of history subjects and portraits. He is regarded as one of the last painters in the tradition of the Flemish Baroque and the last follower of Peter Paul Rubens.
Jan Baptist Huysmans was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp who is known for his Italianate and arcadian landscapes and architectural capricci.
Pieter van der Borcht (I) or Peter van der Borcht (c. 1530–1608) was a Flemish Renaissance painter, draughtsman and etcher. He is regarded as one of the most gifted botanical painters of the 16th century. Pieter van der Borcht the Elder also introduced new themes, such as the "monkey scene" (also called singerie) into Northern art.
Peter van Halen or Pieter van Haelen (1612–1687) was a Flemish painter. He was known for his italianate landscapes with historical, allegorical and mythological scenes with many figures. His works were stylistically influenced by French Classicism.
Pieter Verdussen or Peeter Verdussen was a Flemish painter and draftsman. He is known mainly for his battle scenes, equestrian paintings and landscapes.
Philip van Dapels or Philippe van Dapels was a Flemish painter who specialized in wooded landscapes with figures. He is known for depicting the landscapes around Brussels. Philip van Dapels' style and subject matter are close to those of his master Jacques d'Arthois and Cornelis Huysmans, two artists who like van Dapels often depicted wooded landscapes and the scenery around Brussels.
François Xavier Joseph Jacquin or Frans Jaquin was a Flemish painter and draughtsman known for his portraits, still lifes and landscapes. He was in demand as a portrait painter of religious dignitaries, the nobility and the bourgeoisie. As a still life painter he created game pieces and trompe-l'œil still lifes of game birds.