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Died on 22 June 1678: Otto
Marseus “Snuffelaer” van Schrieck, Dutch Baroque
Era painter born in 1619. — [Creepy creatures in dark underbrush
did not make Schrieck shriek, they made him want to take the pain to paint
them]
— It is difficult to categorize van Schrieck: he made a few traditional
still-lifes, but he is best known for his mysterious
dark close-ups of the live undergrowth of forest floors that give detailed
views of wild flowers, weeds, thistles, and mushrooms animated by phosphorescent
butterflies, insects, reptiles, and snakes. These works, strictly speaking
not still-lifes, have always appealed to collectors of highly finished Dutch
cabinet pictures. Naturalists have a field day identifying their flora and
fauna, and so do iconographers who give detailed commentaries on their content,
which are generally related to the transience theme. Van Schrieck travelled
to Italy in 1648. In Rome he received the nickname Snuffelaer, because he
sniffed everywhere for strange creatures and plants. He returned to his
homeland a few years later. After settling in Amsterdam, he acquired a parcel
of land just outside the city where he kept animals and reptiles. No doubts
some are portrayed in his paintings.
— Van Schrieck traveled to Italy and stayed in Rome and Florence with
the painters Matthias Withoos and Willem van Aelst, the latter his student
at the time. Among his patrons were Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke
of Tuscany (reg. 1621–1670). Van Hoogstraten claimed that he met van Schrieck
in Rome as late as 1652. In Rome, van Schrieck was a member of the Schildersbent.
About 1657 he returned with van Aelst to Amsterdam, where he had a small
property and got married on 25 April 1664. An inventory of the contents
of his house was made in July 1678, shortly after his death, in which more
than 300 paintings are listed. Besides his own paintings, there were works
by Cornelis van Poelenburch, Simon de Vlieger, Ludolf Bakhuizen, Jan Wijnants,
Lucas van Leyden, and van Aelst.
— Van Schrieck's students included Willem
van Aelst.
— LINKS
— Still-Life
with Insects and Amphibians (1662, 51x68cm) _ Among the Dutch still-life
painters Otto Marseus van Schrieck has a special position. His somewhat
exotic oeuvre has only come to be appreciated in more recent decades. He
nearly always presents a small section of the woods with thick dark undergrowth,
and a hidden microcosm in which frogs, toads, snakes and lizards crowd together,
fighting for their lives. Van Schrieck knew the habits of these animals
very well and is known to have bred reptiles and snakes himself. This painting
also shows bizarre botanical species, such as a coral fungus on the left
and thistles, under which a lizard - a so-called lacerta - is hiding, about
to attack the toad. Van Schrieck has designed an idealized habitat, modeled
on biological dioramas, which are illustrations with a three-dimensional
effect. However, although the world of his paintings reflects the zoological
and botanical interests of a well-versed science amateur, it is still not
free from religious associations. Indeed, it is the religious meaning which
determines the selection and composition of the animals and plants. The
snake, the toad and the lizard are the 'unclean animals', the serpent had
negative connotations and was regarded as an incarnation of evil, and such,
was a favourite subject for depicting evil. _ detail
_ This painting also shows bizarre botanical species, such as a coral fungus
on the left and thistles, under which a lizard — a lacerta —
is hiding, about to attack the toad.
— Still-life
with Plants and Reptiles (1667, 58x45cm) _ Schrieck developed a subgenre
of reptile-insect-and-plant paintings. In this painting that combines animals
and plants typical for August, he made an impression of butterfly wings
into the paint, to achieve lifelike texture, and implanted at least one
leg of a fly. Van Schrieck may have developed these interest in the lively
scientific culture of Rome, where he met Samuel van Hoogstraten in 1652.
— Snakes
and Butterflies in an Underbrush (Sep 1670, 610x488pix, 45kb) _ L'artiste
se spécialisa dans la production d'étranges et inquiétantes vues de sous-bois
animés par des insectes, papillons ou lézards et marqués par une lumière
tranchée et un jour ciselé, d'une précision virtuose qui plaît beaucoup
de nos jours.
— Snake,
Frog, and Butterflies (61x41cm; 472x380pix, 36kb) _ Peintre de natures
mortes et de scènes animalières, Van Schrieck est l'inspirateur d'une véritable
école spécialisée dans le sous-bois, et l'initiateur de ces compositions
étranges et funestes. Avec une précision extrême, il détaille les formes
végétales et utilise une profusion de feuillages luisants, donnant à la
nature un aspect inquiétant qui tranche avec la sérénité du paysage situé
en arrière-plan. En exprimant la violence des luttes animales, ses sujets
ont pour vocation de souligner le côté éphémère, fragile et précaire de
la vie. |
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