Artists
Jacob Jordaens
- Country:
- Belgium
- Birth year:
- 1593
- Death year:
- 1678
Jacob Jordaens (1593 Antwerp-1678 Antwerp) was an important painter of the Flemish Baroque. Between 1607 amd 1615 he studied with Adam van Noort, who also taught Peter Paul Rubens. He entered the painter's guild as a "water painter" - he probably decorated wall hangings with water colors-and in 1621 became dean of the guild. He was also active for a short time in Rubens' workshop (1618/19), and under his direction he carried out the festive decorations for the Cardinal-Infanta Ferdinand in Antwerp around 1634, and paintings for Philipp IV (1605-1665) in Antwerp in 1637/38. Jordaens also received numerous foreign and domestic commissions. His style is similar to that of Caravaggio, yet also draws from the realistic tendencies of Dutch painting. Although he was a devout Calvinist, strong, solid, sensually lively characters are typical of his multi-thematic oeuvre. His works include pan with a Syrinx, c. 1625, Musees Royaux des Beaux-Art. Lille; and The Twelve-Year-Old Jesus Among the Priests 1663, Landesmuseum, Mainz.