Follower of Paul de Vos

Follower of PAUL DE VOS (Antwerp, 1591/95 - 1678); 17th century.
"The hunt of the wild boar"-
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has a frame of the twentieth century.
Measurements: 61 x 168 cm; 85 x 190 cm (amrco).
In this baroque piece the author collects a hunting scene, dominated by the landscape and the dynamism generated by the figures portrayed in the image. Located both on the left and on the right, some trees lined up mark the development in depth of the landscape, which is cleared in the center of the scene. The painter sinks his roots in the long baroque pictorial tradition, with a realistic representation, but slightly idealizes nature in order to give us its most expressive side. The technique is light and detailed, with precise brushstrokes based on a drawing as a base. The chromatic range is dominated by warm tones, with reddish and ochre tones with the greys and greens of the trees.
These characteristics indicate that he is a follower of Paul de Vos, Flemish painter, brother of Cornelis and Jan, Paul de Vos was one of the main representatives of the Flemish dynamic still life, together with Frans Snyders. He trained with his brothers under David Remeeus, and achieved mastery around 1620. During his apprenticeship he worked with Snyders himself, so his early works are very close to him, both in subject matter and motifs. However, throughout his career Paul de Vos would incorporate innovative features to his work, with several variations in hunting scenes, a genre in which he specialized. Like Snyders, Vos also had the collaboration of his brother Cornelis, who often painted the figures in his paintings. However, Vos is more velvety in the textures than Snyders, and was characterized by a greater development of the landscape, mainly in his hunting scenes. He also used a personal chromaticism based on warm ranges, ranging from ochre to earthy, but lighter and paler than those of Snyders. Likewise, his technique is looser, blurring the contours and rich textures of Snyders in favor of a more atmospheric and diffuse overall appearance. Drama and tension are also greater in Vos's work, as he always preferred scenes of great violence, often depicting animal struggles in a bloody and ferocious manner. His are therefore images of great pathos, something especially evident in his hunting scenes, endowed with a dramatism that was also reflected in the illustrations of fables that he made, starring animals. On the other hand, he approached animal anatomy in a different way, depicting it in a less naturalistic way, with more elongated bodies. Paul de Vos collaborated assiduously with other artists, among them Rubens. Thus, he painted the animals of key works by this master, such as the "Diana the Huntress" in the Prado Museum. Rubens' admiration for Vos even led him to acquire eight works by his hand, which were among his possessions when he died in 1649. He was also linked to Thomas Willeboirts and Adriaen van Utrecht, with whom he collaborated on some commissions for Henry of Orange Nassau (1648). He also worked occasionally with Erasmus Quelinus II, in works such as "Rest in the Flight into Egypt" (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg). On the other hand, the paintings he painted alone were highly valued among collectors of the time, who especially liked the decorative nature of his scenes and his subject matter, which was highly appreciated among the Flemish and Spanish nobility. Thus, at the beginning of the 1630's he made more than thirty paintings for the Duke of Aarschot, when he was in Madrid, and these works were sold at his death in the Madrid market. He also counted among his admirers the Marquis of Leganés, and other important Spanish collectors of the time owned numerous paintings by him, among them the Marquis of Carpio and the Duke of Salvatierra. King Philip IV himself valued his painting, in view of the many paintings by Vos that decorated the rooms of the main palaces of Madrid, including the Torre de la Parada. The purchase of several of his works from the merchant Gisbert van Colen by Emperor Maximilian (1689) is also documented. Paul de Vos is currently represented in major art galleries around the world, including the Prado Museum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, etc.