Jacob Jordaens (bapt
Antwerp, 20 May 1593; d Antwerp, 18 Oct 1678) was a 17th-century
Flemish painter, tapestry designer, and draughtsman. Jordaens’ art
was distinct from that of his most notable contemporaries, Rubens and Van
Dyck, in that it lacked idealistic themes. During the early part
of his career, Jordaens remained in the shadows of both Rubens and Van
Dyck, failing to obtain a substantial commission from Italy, France, or
England. Furthermore, it was only after Rubens death in 1640 that
Jordaens began to receive commissions and that he became recognized as
the most prominent artist in the southern Netherlands.
As Jordaens’ career progressed,
his workshop in Antwerp increased in size and he trained more and more
new pupils. One of his most notable subjects was Flemish painter Johann
Boeckhorst. Jordaens’ influence on the Flemish artist is evident
in both the style of Boeckhorst’s paintings as well as other forms of his
artistic work (Ali, 648) For instance, Jordaens’ watercolor technique
that he used in creating cartoons for woven tapestries was one of the skills
borrowed by Boeckhorst. An example of Boeckhorst’s use of such colored
drawings to create tapestries was a series of four cartoons which depicted
the History of Aeneas (Vlieghe, 219). Jordaens’ influence
on Boeckhorst is also evidenced by the fact that the context of both artists'
work was of a religious, mythological, or historical nature (Ali, 648).
Jordaens’ influence on Boeckhorst is apparent in the stylistic similarities
between the work of the two artists. One of the most prominent elements
that was incorporated into Boeckhorst’s paintings was that of the drapery,
with broken and angular lines (Vlieghe, 219). Jordaens also created
altarpieces for commissions received from church officials (Ali, 648).
This form of artistic work was later patterned by his pupil, Boeckhorst,
who made altarpieces for churches in Munster (Vlieghe, 218).
Jacob Jordaens’ life was
marked by numerous disputes which primarily stemmed from his support of
Calvinist beliefs in Antwerp, a Catholic city. For instance, on one
occasion, Jordaens was forced to pay a fine for publishing " ‘blasphemous,’
" or Protestant writings. It is likely that Jordaens’ conversion
to Calvinism was influenced by the numerous commissions he received from
the Protestant north (Ali, 650).
Ali, W. "Jacob Jordaens." The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 17. New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc.,
1996, 648-656.
Vlieghe, Hans. "Johann Boeckhorst." The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 4. New York: Grove's
Dictionaries Inc., 1996, 218-219.