Provenance:
• galerie De Jonckheere, 1988;
• private collection.
In this exquisite pair of copper panels, Rijckaert’s full artistry as a pre-Romantic landscape painter is demonstrated with a...
read moreProvenance:
• galerie De Jonckheere, 1988;
• private collection.
In this exquisite pair of copper panels, Rijckaert’s full artistry as a pre-Romantic landscape painter is demonstrated with a rare degree of virtuosity: one can discern the Italianising influence of Paul Bril but also, of the work of the Frankenthal school and Jan Brueghel.
Rijckaert’s obvious skills are apparent at once here in his ability to reconcile, within the smallest of formats, the force of his panoramic vision with a miniaturist rendering of detail. He devotes equal attention to the detail throughout the architecture, the rural landscape and the figures in the foreground.
In spite of the vista towards the horizon, these two landscapes are a continuation of the pictorial tradition of the late sixteenth century whereby space was constructed through a series of successive planes. The chromatic range, which is well-defined (brown/green/blue), is also in line with this constructive tradition. However, the use of colour and the delightful brushwork that the Master has brought to these works definitively evokes the atmosphere and the light effects of the eighteenth century.
The particularly enthralling and decidedly personal quality of this painter is found above all in the attention to detail. We can observe the characteristic rendering of the foliage and the sensitivity to atmospheric variations that create the charm of the best of Rijckaert’s work. His remarkable talent as an architectural painter is also revealed in the at once picturesque and minute rendering of the ruins.
Martin Rijckaert draws us into an atmosphere that is picturesque to say the least, if not romantic. In any case, in the finesse of the painterly execution and the subtlety of the chromatic range, he amply demonstrates the brilliant talents that rank him among the very top Flemish fijnschilders of landscapes of the first half of the seventeenth century.
1587 - Antwerp – 1631
A Flemish landscape painter, Martin Rijckaert belonged to a family of five artists. His father, the painter and art dealer David Rijckaert I, was his first master, after which...
read more1587 - Antwerp – 1631
A Flemish landscape painter, Martin Rijckaert belonged to a family of five artists. His father, the painter and art dealer David Rijckaert I, was his first master, after which he became the pupil of the landscape artist Tobias Verhaecht. Master of the Antwerp Guild of Painters in 1611, he also became a ‘Member of the Chamber of Rhetoric’. Like Jan Brueghel I and II, it is only later that he would complete his training with several years spent in Italy, where he was influenced by Paul Bril, whom he met in Rome circa 1615-1616. These years were a determining factor in the elaboration of his conception of landscape. He also learnt to lighten his palette, thus bringing a sense of freshness and translucence to his paintings. He invented and perfected a personal style: strong colours or impasto in the foreground, lighter colours painted in lively strokes in the background. Furthermore, the arrangements in his paintings are always rich in details. His works are rarely signed, but his particular conception of foliage in generally dense and rounded tufts, as well as certain favourite motifs, allow us to identify him. His manner of painting water is particularly remarkable. While retaining all his talent as a colourist, Martin Rijckaert shows a powerful sense of composition in his last works, worthy of the greatest landscape artists.
He died in his prime in 1631 at the age of 44.
