David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690)
 

Flemish eyes of David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690)

Hermitage

15 October 2010 - January 16, 2011

The exhibition "Flemish eye of David Teniers the Younger," is dedicated to 400 anniversary of the birth of the Flemish artist. A unique collection of paintings by masters of the Hermitage - one of the best in the world, different thematic diversity of products and a high artistic level. The Museum has thirty-three paintings, created mainly in the heyday of the painter (1640-1650-ies.). Among those represented at the anniversary exhibition of the Hermitage paintings by masters of many genuine masterpieces. They show the main facets of art Teniers and allow to disclose the originality of his style.

David Teniers the Younger became famous as a great landscape painter and his inventions master scenes of peasant life, which showed boundless inner possibilities of this story. He became the best traditions of the Netherlands genre painting of the XVI century. The artist enjoyed huge fame in his lifetime. He was treated kindly by the powerful, who literally inundated painter orders. Patrons were Teniers Archduke Leopold Wilhelm and Spain's King Philip IV.

The work of David Teniers the Younger, from the State Hermitage Museum:

Flemish eyes of David Teniers the Younger
 

He was born in 1610 in Antwerp in the family of the painter and the paintings of David Teniers the merchant Elder (1582-1649), learned from his father in the workshop which started its activities in 1626. In the years 1632/33, David Teniers the Younger is a member of the Antwerp Guild of St.. Luke.

The young wizard works in a variety of genres, he painted portraits of historical figures, group portraits of members of the shooting guilds, religious, allegorical and mythological compositions, genre scenes, still lifes, pastoral landscapes.

In early 1630-ies Teniers is influenced by the famous master of domestic scenes, Adrian Brouwer (1605/06-1638), as evidenced by the "Peasants Playing Dice." But he gradually ceases to imitate Brouwer. To develop his own style of a young painter helps familiarity with the works of Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

In a sense, Teniers "affinity" with the tradition breygelevskogo art, thanks to his marriage in 1637 to Anna Brueghel, the granddaughter of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and the daughter of Jan Brueghel the Velvet (1568-1625). The main part of the dowry of Anne made drawings and paintings of her grandfather and father. The study of these works has been crucial in the development of genre painting of Teniers.

In the year of his marriage to Anne Breughel Teniers wrote the first painting on the theme of "Peasant Wedding." Have survived five of his compositions on this theme, including the Hermitage, performed in 1650. They Teniers, based on breygelevskoy tradition, shows a bride at a table alone, without the groom. Like Brueghel, he looks at his characters with irony. It is no coincidence many of his works, including five in the Hermitage, an essential element is attached to the wall, drawing a male head. It serves the original card Teniers and is perceived as an extra, in addition to the signature, the author's character.

With 1637 begins a mature stage of the master. Teniers creates a peaceful, quiet by nature paintings, which have no aggressive characters and conflicts, prefer to depict the action is happening not in the interior and outdoors, in nature ('peasants playing in the balls "). Creating a chronicle of the Flemish daily life, an artist with skill and colorfully detailed scenes of rural labor transfer - harvesting, sheep shearing, hunting, fishing, bleaching canvases, caring for livestock, and many others, and along with it - rest of the peasants (The Hermitage two songs in 1646 and 1648 years based on the story "Village Festival").

The work of David Teniers the Younger, from the State Hermitage Museum:

Flemish eyes of David Teniers the Younger
 

In 1640-ies the transformation of stylistic devices wizard. Now Teniers strives for simplicity, balance and clarity of the composition. In place of monochrome painting that dominates the 1630-ies, there comes a vivid, rich color with a golden tone. Later, in the 1650's, to replace the golden tone gradually to a more elegant, silver-blue. In the current decade, these artistic manner wizard will run until the end of life.

Representations of the Teniers of contemporary artist, genre painter put it in the Hermitage painting "Painter in his Studio" (1641). Arguing with colleagues, idealizes his appearance, he contrasts his character realist artists working from nature, but trust, above all, his vision of the world.

By the indisputable masterpieces of Teniers is "A group portrait of members of the Guild Rifle" Oude Voetboog "(" Old Crossbow ") in Antwerp, written in 1643. An important feature of the Hermitage's work lies in the fact that a group portrait (in the picture, there are about two hundred characters) is placed by the artist in the urban landscape, three-quarters of the space is occupied by architecture. Dominant architectural form is distinguished from the Hermitage canvas similar to the plot, but earlier in time group portraits by Frans Hals and Rembrandt, in whose work was dominated by portraits of the problem. To order Teniers the guild was the first great and responsible work, with which he coped brilliantly. Now placed in the meeting room of the building guild "Old Crossbow." Creating such a prestigious paintings nominated David Teniers the Younger in the first row of Flemish painters.

Reaching the pore peak, in 1646 the artist wrote a great, monumental painting "Kitchen" - another masterpiece of the Hermitage collection. Product synthesizes a household, the allegorical, portrait, genre and still life. The plot of "Kitchen" gave Teniers the opportunity to portray a single track at once an allegory of four elements. Land and water are fruits, poultry and various species of fish. Fire - brazier on the table and a fireplace. Air symbolizes the figure falconer with falcon in his hand.

In 1651 Leopold Wilhelm appoints David Teniers the Younger a court painter and curator Pinakothek. The Master and his family moved to Brussels, where he immediately starts to fulfill the multiple responsibilities. He has been involved in the acquisition of paintings, is a detailed inventory of works of art, plays masterpieces of the collection of the paintings. Leopold Wilhelm gave the image its Pinakothek members of the imperial family in Vienna and Madrid, thereby contributing to fame and popularity of the artist.

In 1651 at the request of Leopold Wilhelm Teniers going to England. In London, he probably saw one of three allegorical portrait by Anthony van Dyck Lady Digby Venice in the form of Prudence (c. 1633-1641 gg.). After this trip Teniers creates song "Allegory of Prudence, conquering earthly vanity." Moral and didactic motives are not unique to this painting masters. So, the theme of overcoming sensual temptations arise in the works of Teniers on the image of St. Anthony. Two Hermitage compositions based on the story "The Temptation of St.. Anthony iconographically, especially the image of them" evil forces "of witches, demons, fantastic animals, and go back to the works of Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), but in their own way interpreted Teniers. If the image of the main character, created by Bosch, is endowed with courage and steadfastness of the spirit, the works of Teniers Hermitage St. Anthony gives the impression of a weak-willed, infirm old man.


The work of David Teniers the Younger, from the State Hermitage Museum:

Flemish eyes of David Teniers the Younger
 

It should be noted another area of the artist. In Flanders during the XVII century were popular images of church interiors. Teniers often wrote for them staffazh, "enlivening" figures of people, empty space. Hermitage "Interior of Antwerp Cathedral is an example of such work Teniers the Younger and Peter Neffsa (1620 - after 1675).

Pastoral scene is a kind of genre, are on display paired his paintings, "Shepherd" and "Shepherdess" (1650-ies.). Their characters seem to be young actors, dressed in theatrical costumes and skillfully performing their assigned roles. The charm of youth, delightfully transmitted by the artist, save here Teniers from appearing later excessive sentimentality in the treatment of characters.

Creativity Teniers completed a brilliant development of the Flemish paintings of the XVII century and in many ways anticipated the style of those artists of the genre painters beginning of the XVIII century (notably by Antoine Watteau), who worked mainly in small forms of painting. Legacy of Teniers is extremely large. The catalogs of museums and private galleries refers to hundreds of works by the artist.

The exhibition is accompanied directory (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2010). Author and curator of the exhibition catalog Natalia P. Babin, a senior researcher at the Department of Western European Art, PhD.


The work of David Teniers the Younger, from the State Hermitage Museum:

Interesting to see katalog.Ya would have bought.

Ika-Ika, I think these guys you can help:


«VOCABULARY - books on art.

Thank you, Tiutchev, a wonderful artist and a wonderful exhibition.

The most loved - Smoker (17) and flutist (33).
In painting, of course, is not surpassed Brouwer, who picked up a lot, but the master is completely original.

A exhibited 35 works.
Two extra?


Thank you, very good quality photos

Valerit, thanks for the interesting question. The fact that the work "hung" in the this topic under № 34 and № 35(#4) are the works of Teniers the Younger, but called into question. Ie they do not have absolute wizard.

In the State Hermitage is also working range Teniers the Younger. There are four (4) (in the subject they are not "hung").

And yet I do not understand why the author wrote the above article about the 33 papers, despite the fact that the museum is another work attributed to Teniers the Younger? It's "Allegory of Prudence, conquering earthly vanity."
 With her paintings in the Hermitage collection will be 34 th. Perhaps the author has reason to believe that in the museum only 33rd of Teniers ll, but I do not know anything about these cavities. If anyone has information I would appreciate.

«Allegory of Prudence, conquering earthly vanity" (State Hermitage Museum):
Teniers, David the Younger.
Oil on wood. 45.9h34.2 cm
Flanders. Between 1651 - 1690 г.
Admission: up to 1859

Tiutchev, thank you very much for the great theme ..