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WORLD'S BEST ART
For a list of the finest works of
painting and sculpture, by the
world's most famous artists, see:
Greatest Paintings Ever
Oils, watercolours, mixed media
from 1300-present.
TOP ART PRICES
For a list of the highest priced
works of art sold at auction, see:
Top 10 Most Expensive
Paintings.
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Although Van Dyck specialized in portraits
because they were in most demand, he attempted to convince the King to
commission historical works as well. According to the Hierarchy
of Genres, established by the leading European Academies of Art, portraiture
came a poor second to history
painting, thus Van Dyck wanted to leave his mark in this area. He
created some sketches for a large series of works on the history of the
Order of the Garter, but when the time came to it, Charles was too short
of funds to proceed. Van Dyck’s contemporary in Spain, Velasquez,
did not have this problem, and was commissioned to produce numerous large
historical paintings as well as portraits. In his later years Van Dyck
would try unsuccessfully to win the commission to paint the Grande Gallerie
of the Louvre.
Van Dyck maintained a large workshop in
London, and employed several assistants. According to one person, the
studio was 'virtually a production line for portraits'. He usually worked
by creating a single sketch of his subject, which he then handed to his
assistants to enlarge onto canvas. He then painted the head himself, with
the clothes being completed by specialists. In later years, it is believed
that this collaboration resulted in a decline in the quality of the studio's
work.
Like Titian and Rembrandt,
there were many copies of Van Dyck's works in circulation, and it was
not until the 20th century that an accurate labelling of his original
works was made. Examples of his other paintings include: Portrait of
a Flemish Lady, c.1618 (The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC);
Portrait of Susanna Fourment and Her Daughter, 1620 (The National
Gallery of Art, Washington DC); St Martin Dividing His Cloak, 1620
(Windsor Castle); Silenus Drunk, c.1620 (Alte Meister Gallerie,
Dresden); Portrait of Isabella Brant, 1621 (The National Gallery
of Art, Washington DC); Sir Robert Sherly, 1622 (National Trust,
Petworth House, Sussex); The Painter Marten Ryckaert, 1629 (Museo
del Prado, Madrid); Nicholas Lanier, 1630 (Kunsthistorisches Museum,
Vienna); Portrait of a Lady Dressed in Black, Before a Red Curtain,
c.1630 (Alte Meister Gallerie); Philip, Lord Wharton, 1632 (National
Gallery of Art); Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel and Surrey with
His Grandson Lord Maltravers, 1635; Prince of Wales, Future Charles
II, King of England, 1637 (Windsor Castle); Children of Charles
I, 1637 (Windsor Castle); Lady Elizabeth Thimbleby and Dorothy,
Viscountess Andover, 1637 (National Gallery, London) and Princess
Mary Stuart and Prince William of Orange, 1641 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).
In 1638, he married a Lady in Waiting to
the Queen (the daughter of Lord Ruthven) - a match allegedly engineered
by the King to keep his artist in England. However, just over a year later
Van Dyck died in London. He is buried in Saint Paul's Cathedral, a rare
distinction normally only reserved for British people. In the history
of art of England, Van Dyck's influence on the style of Baroque
portraits and later examples of the genre was immense. Thomas
Gainsborough in particular was a huge fan and the elegance of Van
Dyck's style is clearly visible in his works.
Works by Anthony Van Dyck hang in the world's
best art museums including the British
Royal Art Collection, and the Frick
Collection New York.
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