Antoine Wiertz
Belgian, 1806 - 1865
IMAGE GALLERY
3 pictures
Click image to learn more about each picture, or send as a free e-card
BIOGRAPHY
Belgian painter, born in Dinant. A precocious draughtsman, he was an admirer of Géricault. He was the son of a Dinan tailor who forced him to learn music, drawing and grammar from early youth. In 1820, studied at the Antwerp Academy. He spent 1829-1832 in France, won the Prix de Rome in 1832, stayed in Italy from 1834 to 1836 at the Académie de France in Rome, where, under the direction of Horace Vernet, he copied the great Italian masters. In 1838, exhibited his
Patrocles in Paris. The unfavourable critical reaction determined him not to seek French citizenship. In 1850, the Belgian government financed the construction of a studio modelled on one of the Greek temples of Paestum. His style shows the inspiration of Rubens along with reminiscences of medieval painters, but expresses humanitarian and even revolutionary overtones. This is combined with wild invention and a frequently erotic Symbolism. His masterpiece is
The Beautiful Rosine, in which a beautiful woman is placed before a skeleton. The work is halfway between traditional
vanitas and Baudelairian meditation.
A selection of art exhibitions which have featured this
artist's work:
No messages have been posted about this artist. Post a new message (requires login).