Gerard de la Vallé

GERARD DE LA VALLÉ ( 1596/1597-after 1667).
"Battle".
Oil on copper.
Signed on the back with anagram.
Measurements: 69,5 x 87 cm; 77 x 95 cm (frame).
In this copper a historical subject is represented: a violent battle in a natural scene dominated by an agitated sky, which determines a very gloomy illumination, with shines and half shadows. The action is concentrated in the foreground, where several soldiers on horseback fight fiercely, captured in complicated foreshortenings that the painter masterfully resolves. Beyond, the narrative becomes confused, with the characters blurred by the effect of distance, thus achieving a convincing atmospheric impression. Through his loose brushwork, the work expresses a dynamic, theatrical, narrative and expressive style, supported by a solid handling of light, composition and coloring. Thus, we see an apparently chaotic scene, although rigorously studied, that reflects with naturalism the din of the struggle and the violence of the confrontation, a violence that is also manifested in the warm and fiery chromatism itself.

Gerard de la Vallée was active in Paris from 1620 to 1625. In 1625 he was again in Mechelen. In the guild year 1626-1627, he is documented in Antwerp by registering as a master in the local guild of St. Luke under the name of Geeraert de la Vallee. A record dated 1636, in which the artist acts as a witness for Guillam Forchondt and N. Lemmens, shows that he was still in Antwerp at that time. De la Vallée worked for the Forchondt workshop, which was one of the most important exporters of Flemish art to all corners of Europe and South America. Many of the works produced in Forchondt's workshop, including those by Gerard de la Vallée, used copper as a support, which facilitated their export from Antwerp to Seville, where Forchondt had a trading post. From Seville, the works were shipped via Cadiz to Veracruz (Mexico), where they were sold to local convents. Gerard de la Vallée was a landscape and history painter. His landscapes show the influence of Abraham Govaerts and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Gerard de la Vallée's works are often derived or inspired by those of the great masters of the Antwerp school. The extraction of images from other masters to create new works intended for the export market was a hallmark of Forchondt's workshop and is also evident in de la Vallée's work. Collaborations with the figure painter Pieter van Avont are documented. One example is the "Wooded Landscape with the Virgin, Infant Jesus and St. John".