For which Velazquez, Rubens and other artists were honored to become court painters

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Contrary to the belief that artists are always poor and unpopular, there have been many famous personalities in history who were not only very rich, but also became favorites with kings and queens, lived in joy and had friendly relations with the rulers. We have prepared a list of such artists who were literally snapped up, and who often worked not only in a creative but also a political way.

1. Diego Velazquez

This artist came under royal patronage almost immediately after he arrived in Madrid. This happened when he was invited by Count Olivares, around 1623, at the time when Philip IV ascended the throne. Literally immediately after this, Diego paints his portrait, which brings him first fame and overwhelming success. He was also appointed court painter, noting that only he would paint portraits of the current king.

The artist's teacher, Francisco Pacheco, described this portrait as follows:

After rumors spread that Velazquez could draw exclusively the heads of people, the king decided to arrange a small competition, the essence of which was the most accurate and historically accurate depiction of the expulsion of the Moriscos. It is noteworthy that it was Velasquez who won it, who was then appointed chamberlain.

Diego's duties included a reliable display of not only the king, but also members of the royal family, their entourage. Pacheco said:.

In some subsequent works, Velazquez adapts Rubens' style using more complex color and decorative solutions.

2. Peter Paul Rubens

For most of his life, he was engaged not only in paintings, but also in diplomatic trips, for example, to the same Madrid. He visited many European countries, was a master of negotiations. The first time he decided to do this, while in the service of the Duke of Mantua, when he was barely twenty-three years old. In 1605, Rubens, supplied with gifts from the duke, went to King Philip III, hoping to get the title of admiral for his patron.

After almost eight years of service with the Duke of Matui, Rubens received a letter stating that the health of his old mother, who lived in Antwerp, had greatly deteriorated. He asked the duke to let him go home, but he turned up. Therefore, the artist left the city, claiming that after his return he would surrender to the mercy of the king. However, he never returned to Italy.

After returning home, Rubens was introduced to the stadtholders of the Spanish Netherlands - Albrecht VII of Austria and his beloved wife, Isabella Clara Eugenia. Soon after, he painted their joint portrait, after which he was appointed court painter. They praised Rubens so much that they not only allowed him to receive a salary, but also paid a certain amount for each individual painting. He was also allowed to reside and stay in Antwerp, despite the fact that the couple themselves lived in Brussels.

After the death of Albrecht VII, his wife ruled for about twelve years. During this period, Rubens became not only an artist, but also her trusted ambassador. On her behalf, he went to negotiations with the Republic of the United Provinces, and also visited England and Spain. It is believed that it was he who brought Leonardo da Vinci's drawings to the capital of Great Britain in 1627, which are currently in the monarch's collection.

3. Anthony van Dyck

But this artist was in the service of Charles I. It is noteworthy that, despite a very good opinion of him from Rubens, both artists were considered direct rivals and often fought for the monarch's favor. And all because Isabella Clara Eugenia in the 1630s offered the post of feigned painter to van Dyck, because Rubens was absent from the country from the beginning of the 20s. However, the artist did not stay for long under Isabella's wing, and literally a couple of years later he went to The Hague, where he began to paint to order for the Prince of Orange, as well as for the Elector of Palatinate - Frederick V and his beloved wife Elizabeth Stuart.

It was thanks to the works that connected him with Elizabeth, who was the sister of Charles I, that he was able to find himself at his court. In 1632, the artist began to be called a courtier under the king, and also received a lot of pleasant bonuses in the form of an annual allowance, personal chambers in the palace, a castle by the River Thames, a knighthood and, of course, a recognition of the king, who did not hesitate to personally come to visit him. to watch it work.

However, this did not prevent Antonis from leaving back to Antwerp two years later. No historian knows exactly why he did this. Probably, he was forced by family circumstances, or the desire to change the political situation after the death of Isabella. However, apparently, what he returned for did not come true, and therefore the next year he returned to Great Britain, where he died in 1641 from an unknown illness just a few years before the king's execution.

4. Hans Holbein the Younger

Another British king, namely Henry VIII, owed everything to his artist, just as Charles I owed Anthony. And all because without Hans the king could not have become so famous, perhaps not even in a very good way, and British art would have remained unexplored and uninteresting.

Portraits of monarchs by any other artist portrayed them in a classical manner, so much so that they all resembled the Tudors.

Holbein, on the other hand, managed to portray the king in such a way as to make him memorable, more real for ordinary people, as well as making him the most famous ruler of Christian dominions. Holbein is also depicted and his women, notorious wives, who were killed or beheaded by the monarch.

Little is known about the life and fate of this artist until the moment of his move to Great Britain. The paintings that he painted at court are so admiring and interesting to historians that they tend to ignore the rest of the information about his life. However, it is known that Holbein was about thirty years old when he first came to London and demonstrated his works on religious topics. He was also known thanks to some sketches and pictures for the texts, and also thanks to paintings for churches.

While in the service of the king, Hans was engaged in decorating his interior in Whitehall.

From 1538 he was also a permanent member of the marriage delegations, where he painted the future brides of the king, for example, Anna of Cleves. They say that after the monarch saw the portrait of Holbein, in which she was depicted, he immediately wanted to marry her. However, after seeing her live, I was very disappointed. Hans narrowly escaped royal disfavor, and perhaps precisely because this marriage was motivated by political rather than sexual motives.

5. Lucas Cranach the Elder

This artist is a fellow countryman of Holbein, and became a court master in 1505 under the Elector Frederick III. At that time, the artist was about thirty-three years old, and he was doing this until his death. It is noteworthy that he outlived several rulers at once, including Johann the Solid and Johann the Magnanimous.

At the court in Wittenberg, the artist painted not only pictures, but also engaged in the creation of engravings, personally created decorations, decorated various celebrations and weddings, tournaments, and also dominated other artisans. In general, Lucas was responsible for the entire aesthetics and appearance of the palace. To do this, he organized his own workshop, which soon moved outside the estate.

In 1508, Cranach received the rank of nobleman, and went to Margaret of Austria as an ambassador and diplomat. During this visit, he met Maximilian I, the ruler of the Roman Empire. And thanks to this acquaintance, a little later, together with his colleague in the workshop, he will draw illustrations for the prayer book for him.

Cranach was known not only as a talented artist, but primarily as a very smart entrepreneur who knows how to benefit from any position. For example, he sold wine and paper, which most likely were made by his students, and not by himself, for an impressive amount. And at the time of his death, his fortune was estimated at twenty thousand gold coins.

6. Giotto di Bondone

The biography of this popular artist, who was an innovator and reformer in art, and also founded one of the most famous schools of painting in Italy, is shrouded in darkness and mystery. The most famous factor in his life is his service to King Robert the Wise, who ruled in Naples.

After Giotto finished his famous polyptych Baroncelli, in 1328 he and his students were invited to the court, and he agreed, remaining to work there for five whole years. Around the same time, he was nicknamed the first royal painter and was given a salary just a year before he decided to leave the palace. After that, he became not only an artist, but also an architect, as well as the author of all the fortifications in the city of Florence.

In Naples, you can find several works by di Bondone, which have survived to this day. So, among them, a piece of fresco called "The Rinsing of Christ", which is located in the Cathedral of Santa Chiara, as well as a fresco on the windows of the chapel in Castel Nuovo. But the more famous paintings, including the images of the king himself, which were often mentioned at court, alas, have not survived.

7. Jan van Eyck

This Fleming worked at the court of Johann III, who was the Duke of Bavaria. Also after his death, he became an artist at the court of Philip III, which became the de facto successor of the duke. In 1425, Philip invited the master to the court, where he was assigned a permanent, annual salary. Interestingly, even after the death of the artist, his widow Margaret received payments from the king.

Moreover, Philip appreciated the artist so much that when his advisers did not manage to transfer funds to van Eyck, he sent them a letter, where he strongly recommended to do this, after all.

This little sabotage by the advisers was easy to explain. Some time before that, Philip canceled their salaries, while leaving the payments for van Eyck intact. Moreover, it was clarified that the salary he was paid not for the work that he performs, but for the immediate willingness to work on the paintings as soon as the sovereign contacts him. It is also noteworthy that Philip was the godfather of the artist's child, and sent his representative to the celebration on this occasion that he presented a gift in the form of six goblets of gold.

Unfortunately, to date, the artist's works from the time of service under Philip III have not survived. All that is known is the fact that he went to Portugal, becoming part of a marriage diplomatic mission, where he painted a portrait of Isabella, who soon became the duke's wife. There are also some historical references in the documents, where it is indicated that the artist brought to the city of Lille a whole composition about some famous works, as well as about the world map that he made for the monarch.

eight. Agnolo Bronzino

Agnolo is well known for his Mannerist portraits, as well as for the fact that he worked at the court of Cosimo I de Medici, being his first and main court painter, and also having a significant influence on portrait painting in the palace in general. He achieved his success not only as the author of realistic portraits, but also as an artist on religious themes. The main distinguishing feature of his works is not the desire to convey the character of a person, but the emphasis on his social status and restraint.

The artist worked most closely with Cosimo I himself, as well as with his wife, Eleanor Toledo. Bronzino arrived at the court in 1533, just a few years before Cosimo I was married to Eleanor. In addition to paintings, he created decorations and decorations for the city during the arrival of the future duchess, and also decorated the chapel in Palazzo Vecchio using images on the creation of the world and the faces of saints, thereby trying to capture all the important and necessary moments from the life of the monarch and his wife.

Agnolo also painted portraits of Eleanor, twice painted her with her sons, but he never depicted her next to her daughters.

9. Jose de Ribera

The artist arrived in the city of Naples in 1616, just when it was part of Spain and was ruled by its governors. Literally in the very first years, he managed to attract attention to his work from the Duke of Osuna - Pedro Telles Chiron. By his order, he made several images of the saints for the Osuna Collegiate church, and also created the Crucifixion for his own wife Catalina.

This ruler was considered very odious, and also shortly after that, in 1620, he was recalled from Naples and imprisoned. However, this did not affect Ribera's career: he continued to work even with his successors, and also, like Velazquez, lived directly in the palace.

The documents, which dated back to 1646, indicated that Ribera was "a Spaniard, a member of the royal family, living in the royal palace."

Marcantonio Padovanino, consul from the city of Venice, said in one of his letters that Ribera's painting "The Bearded Woman", which depicted Magdalena Ventura, was actually painted directly in the king's chambers. He also noted that.

10. Joshua Reynolds

This artist is notable for the fact that, unlike all his other brothers, he was not a royal favorite in the full sense of the word. He only once painted portraits of royals, where he depicted George III and his wife Charlotte Strelitzkaya, which were created directly for the exhibition, which took place under the protectorate of the Royal Academy at Somerset House in 1780. These paintings are even today kept in this academy.

Despite the fact that in fact no one appointed Reynolds as an artist under the monarch, he was essentially a local trendsetter in art, a person who knew exactly where to reflect reality, and where to use flattery, present a model from his painting, emphasize it the best features and somewhere even idealize it.

After the direct establishment of the Royal Academy, Joshua was elected its president and steward, and also, with the royal grace of George III, received the status of a knight.

11. Jacques Louis David

Historians of that time, recording the biography of this artist, often treated him with disdain and hostility. And all because he worked at the court of Napoleon. It is noteworthy that initially Jacques gave all his strength and energy for the benefit of the French Revolution, but soon began to glorify Napoleon, whom everyone called an impostor who appointed David the first imperial artist.

This did not stop David from literally admiring the monarch:.

David's most famous work was to create the legendary portrait of Bonaparte on horseback. So, he was commissioned directly by Napoleon himself, who asked Jacques to paint his portrait, full of tranquility, on which he rides a mad horse. The artist undertook this work with great zeal and enthusiasm, as a result of which a painting called "Bonaparte at the Saint Bernard Pass" appeared, which became a source of inspiration for many, and also displayed a hero to whom not only people, but also nature and animals obey including. However, the artist decided to leave one detail outside the painting. In fact, Napoleon was not at the head of his army during the campaigns across the Alps, but followed him on a small mule a few days later.

After Bonaparte lost the Battle of Waterloo, which led to the restoration of the Bourbons, Jacques was forced to urgently emigrate to Belgium. There he died of a stroke in 1825, having outlived his main inspirer for four years.

12. Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Winterhalter's popularity at royal courts in Europe can only be compared with the success of artists such as Rubens or van Dyck. And all because he was a universal artist who worked not at one court, but under the majority of monarchs from all over Europe.

He painted portraits of the rulers of Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Russia and other states. His works caused insane delight among the monarchs, and all because Franz knew how to embellish his models, flatter them, emphasize their best features. For example, he always drew the best, most fashionable dresses and accessories, which flatter the ladies madly.

For the first time at the court of the monarch, Franz was after an invitation from the Duke of Baden, Leopold. A little later, he also worked on works for King Louis-Philippe I and Napoleon III as well. Soon he also became acquainted with the monarchy in Great Britain, for which he created over a hundred paintings and portraits.

It is curious that Winterhalter considered his work on portraits of kings and queens to be temporary, hoping one day to return to free artistic voyage. However, his dream was not destined to come true, because he became, in fact, a victim of his talent and celebrity. However, this did not in the least darken his enjoyment of the untold wealth and patronage of monarchs from all over the world.

Continuing the theme of artists, read about what connected Modigliani with Akhmatova and why the wife of a genius unrecognized during his lifetime committed suicide while pregnant.