1000 Museums

Anthony van Dyck is one of the most important successful and influential 17th-century Flemish painters, especially instrumental in the realm of portraiture. Anthony van Dyck was born on March 22, 1599. He produced work from an impressively young age—his earliest known portrait was done when he was only fourteen. By 1621, Anthony van Dyck was in the service of James I of England but left for Italy, where he remained for six years. During this time, Anthony van Dyck produced much of his religious and mythological paintings. Whilst van Dyck’s early work was heavily influenced by Rubens, in Italy, he began to draw from Italian artists likeTitian. Anthony van Dyck returned to the Netherlands after his time in Italy and apprenticed under Rubens, working with him on a cathedral in Antwerp. Anthony van Dyck adopted Rubens’ style of painting with live models. Anthony van Dyck settled at the English court in 1632, becoming the official portrait painter for Charles I and revolutionizing English portraiture, setting a new standard of sophistication and detail. Charles I would also eventually knight him. Anthony van Dyck paid special attention to textures such as fabrics and hair within his work. He also had a flair for depicting children and frequently brought their youthful charm to life in his portraits. He also revolutionized the genre by intentionally painting children in settings without their parents. Anthony van Dyck also brought to life the concept of the friendship portrait, in which two men stand side by side. His friendship portrait shows himself next to Endymion Porter, his greatest friend. Though Peter Paul Rubens is considered the greatest Dutch painter of all time, Anthony van Dyck surpasses him as a portraitist. Anthony van Dyck died in 1641.