Jan Lievens; A Dutch Master Rediscovered

by Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr.; With Stephanie S. Dickey, E. Melanie Gifford, Gregory R

• ISBN13: 9780300142136
• ISBN10: 0300142137
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-10-28
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Jan Lievens (16071674) was one of the most fascinating and enigmatic Dutch artists of the 17th century. Daring and innovative as a painter, printmaker, and draftsman, he created powerful character studies, genre scenes, landscapes, formal portraits, and religious and allegorical images that were widely praised and valued during his lifetime. This beautiful book, the first overview of the full range of Lievens' career, features more than 50 paintingsmany of them newly discovered in private collectionsand more than 75 prints and drawings, providing a reassessment of his place in the history of art. Lievens began his career in his native Leiden, where he worked closely with his compatriot Rembrandt, who admired and collected Lievens' works. Lievens then moved to London, Antwerp, and Amsterdam, and his peripatetic career and multitude of working styles, say the authors of this book, may explain why his reputation today is not as high as it should be. This book offers a necessary corrective, returning to Lievens the esteem he deserves.

Author Biography

Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., is curator of Northern baroque painting at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and professor of art history at the University of Maryland.

Table of Contents

Directors' Foreword
Acknowledgments
Lenders to the Exhibition
Notes to the Reader
Essays
Jan Lievens: Bringing New Light to an Old Master	p. 1
Patronage for Lievens' Portraits and History Pieces; 1644-1674	p. 28
Lievens' Technique: "Wonders in smeared paint, varnishes, and oils"	p. 40
Jan Lievens and Printmaking	p. 54
The Drawings of Jan Lievens	p. 68
Catalogue
Paintings	p. 82
Prints	p. 188
Drawings	p. 226
Appendix
"I believe I have already mentioned Lievens' character in passing...": Personality as the Key to the Career and Artistic Vision of Jan Lievens	p. 282
Constanijn Huygens on Lievens and Rembrandt	p. 286
Jan Jansz Oriers on Lievens	p. 288
Notes to the Catalogue	p. 289
Select Bibliography	p. 299
Index	p. 305
Credits	p. 308
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