Simon de Vos
Encyclopedia
Simon de Vos was a Flemish Baroque painter of genre
and cabinet pictures.
De Vos studied with Cornelis de Vos
(1603–76), to whom he is not related, from 1615 until 1620. In 1620 he joined Antwerp's guild of St. Luke, and then he probably travelled to Rome
where he came under the influence of the "low-life" genre paintings of the Bentvueghels
and the bambocciate. A Caravaggesque influence, by way of the German painter Johann Liss
—active in Italy during the 1620s—is discernible in De Vos's paintings from this time on. In contrast to the earlier "low-life" paintings, works from the late 1620s until around 1640, which were made after returning to Antwerp, are mostly small "merry company" and courtly genre scenes reminiscent of contemporary Dutch painters
Dirck Hals
and Pieter Codde
. After 1640, De Vos turned away from genre scenes altogether and painted mostly small cabinet painting
s of history subjects
, influenced stylistically at first by Peter Paul Rubens and then increasingly by Anthony van Dyck
. Examples include The Beheading of St. Paul (1648) in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.
He married Catharina van Utrecht, the sister of Adriaen van Utrecht
, in 1628.
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
and cabinet pictures.
Biography
Cornelis de Vos
right|thumb|Cornelis de Vos, Family portrait, 1631, 165 x 235 cm, Oil on canvas, [[Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp]]Cornelis de Vos , was a Flemish Baroque painter best known for his portraiture....
(1603–76), to whom he is not related, from 1615 until 1620. In 1620 he joined Antwerp's guild of St. Luke, and then he probably travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where he came under the influence of the "low-life" genre paintings of the Bentvueghels
Bentvueghels
The Bentvueghels were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent .-Activities:...
and the bambocciate. A Caravaggesque influence, by way of the German painter Johann Liss
Johann Liss
Johann Liss was a leading German Baroque painter of the 17th century, active mainly in Venice.-Biography:...
—active in Italy during the 1620s—is discernible in De Vos's paintings from this time on. In contrast to the earlier "low-life" paintings, works from the late 1620s until around 1640, which were made after returning to Antwerp, are mostly small "merry company" and courtly genre scenes reminiscent of contemporary Dutch painters
Dutch Golden Age painting
Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history generally spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years War for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republic was the most prosperous nation in Europe, and led European trade,...
Dirck Hals
Dirck Hals
Dirck Hals , born at Haarlem, was a Dutch painter of festivals and ballroom scenes. He was influenced by his elder brother Frans Hals.-Biography:...
and Pieter Codde
Pieter Codde
Pieter Jacobsz. Codde was a Dutch painter of genre works, guardroom scenes and portraits.-Life:Codde was a technically skilled painter...
. After 1640, De Vos turned away from genre scenes altogether and painted mostly small cabinet painting
Cabinet painting
A cabinet painting is a small painting, typically no larger than about two feet in either dimension, but often much smaller. The term is especially used of paintings that show full-length figures at a small scale, as opposed to say a head painted nearly life-size, and that are painted very...
s of history subjects
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
, influenced stylistically at first by Peter Paul Rubens and then increasingly by Anthony van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
. Examples include The Beheading of St. Paul (1648) in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.
He married Catharina van Utrecht, the sister of Adriaen van Utrecht
Adriaen van Utrecht
Adriaen van Utrecht was a celebrated Flemish Baroque still life painter of the Antwerp school.-Career:Adriaen van Utrecht was, contrary to the suggestion of his name, a native of Antwerp. In 1614 he joined the studio of Herman de Neyt, painter and art dealer, as an apprentice, and was early...
, in 1628.