^
Died on 07 February 1749: Jan
van Huysum, Dutch painter born on 15 April 1682.
— Van Huysum was, with Rachel
Ruysch, the most distinguished flower painter of his day. He had a European
reputation and was much imitated. The light colors he used, the even lighter
backgrounds, and the openness of his intricate compositions became distinguishing
features of 18th century Dutch flower painting. He occasionally painted
subjects other than flowers, including a self-portrait. His father, Justus
the Elder [08 Jun 1659 – Apr 1716], was a flower and landscape painter and
he had three painter brothers: Justus the Younger [1684-1707]; Michiel [–1759];
and Jacob [1687-1740], who worked in England and imitated Jan's style.
— LINKS
— Still
Life with Flowers (1723)
— Bouquet
of Flowers in an Urn (1724) _ The main line of eighteenth-century Dutch
still-life painting is represented by the Amsterdamers Rachel Ruysch and
Jan van Huysum, who both specialized in elaborate flower and fruit pictures.
They were the most popular still-life painters of the period; their works
commanded high prices and were found in famous collections throughout Europe,
and their colorful paintings still have wide appeal. The status they were
accorded in their time indicates there were powerful patrons and collectors
who took exception to the teachings of academic theorists who minimized
the significance of still-lifes by placing them. [Do not confuse Amsterdamers
with “hamster damners”, even if a few, a very few, might be both]
— Hollyhocks
and Other Flowers in a Vase (1710, 62x52cm) _ Dutch painters described
the visible world with remarkable precision and one of the forms this description
took was the still life. In the earliest years of the seventieth century
still-lifes often had a vanitas element. Among the apparently random accumulation
of objects were clocks, snuffed-out candles, faded flowers and skulls, reminders
of the passage of time and the inevitability of death and decay. As the
century progressed these elements dropped away and still-lifes became simply
displays of the rare, exotic, expensive and beautiful. Jan van Huysum, whose
career spanned the first half of the eighteenth century, was the heir to
this great tradition of still-life painting and, as far as floral still-lifes
are concerned, its greatest exponent. This painting is undated but must
belong to the first half of his career before about 1720, when he began
to paint more elaborate and artificial flower pieces, which are light in
tone on light backgrounds, in an almost pastel palette. It probably dates
from about 1710. Jan van Huysum lived and worked in Amsterdam. He was one
of a dynasty of painters, having been trained by his father Justus van Huysum,
also a still-life painter, and was later imitated by his younger brother,
Jacob.
— Vase
of Flowers (63x50cm) _ Son of Justus, a decorator of apartments and
gardens, Jan van Huysum was one of the most famous Dutch painters of floral
still-lifes, establishing himself in a pictorial genre that was already
popular and widespread, and taking it to a perfection and virtuosity which
was at times even mechanical. However, whereas in French artists, whom the
painter was inspired by, ability and technical complexity were also reflected
in the sometimes excessive elaboration of the portrayal, van Huysum stayed
within the sober Quattrocento Flemish-Dutch tradition, even though he used
motifs characteristic of the seventeenth century (the dark background and
the presence of rare species of flowers).
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